Stability of multiple alignments and phylogenetic trees: an analysis of ABC-transporter proteins family
2008

Stability of ABC-Transporter Protein Alignments and Phylogenetic Trees

Sample size: 22 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Wagner Holger, Morgenstern Burkhard, Dress Andreas

Primary Institution: Bielefeld University

Hypothesis

How do different alignment methods affect the stability of phylogenetic trees for ABC transporter proteins?

Conclusion

The study found that using specific alignment options can improve the stability of phylogenetic trees derived from ABC transporter sequences.

Supporting Evidence

  • Instabilities in phylogenetic trees were linked to the underlying alignment methods used.
  • New options in DIALIGN improved alignment stability for sequences with repeats.
  • CLUSTAL W produced less stable alignments compared to DIALIGN for the same sequences.

Takeaway

Scientists looked at how well different computer programs can line up DNA sequences and found that some methods work better than others, especially when the sequences have repeated parts.

Methodology

The study compared alignments and phylogenetic trees generated by CLUSTAL W and DIALIGN for a set of ABC transporter sequences.

Potential Biases

Potential biases may arise from the choice of alignment methods and the scoring functions used.

Limitations

The study focused only on a small set of ABC transporters, which may not represent all cases.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1748-7188-3-15

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