Definition of Multiple Sequence Alignment



Multiple sequence alignment is an alignment that is done by computer programming in which the two or more than two genetic sequences are aligned according to their similarity with each other. Usually, it is done on biological sequences typically proteins and nucleic acids i.e. DNA and RNA that have almost the same lengths.

 


The significance of aligning the sequences is that the evolutionary relationships between the sequences can be determined and homology can be deduced from them. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis can also be conducted through which the sequences that were shared by the ancestors are easily assessed. The secondary and tertiary structures of the proteins and the constituent amino acids are also determined by MSA.


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