Basic Local Alignment Search Tool

If you're in need of a similarity search software, then you ought to try the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool, popularly called BLAST. It comes with a set of user-friendly programs designed to explore all available sequence databases, be it a protein or DNA. This program works with a heuristic algorithm, which makes it effective in seeking local alignments rather than global ones. This explains why it is so good at detecting relationships among sequences that share only isolated regions of similarity.

One significant advantage of BLAST is that it can be run locally as a full executable. That means it can be used to run local searches against private databases, downloaded copies of NCBI databases, and more. This makes it very convenient to use. The software can run on various operating systems, including Mac OS, Win32, LINUX, Solaris, IBM AIX, SGI, Compaq OSF, and HP- UX systems.

In conclusion, BLAST is a versatile tool that would be great for those in need of a similarity-search software for their sequence databases, be it protein or DNA. Its heuristic algorithm makes it extremely effective at detecting relationships among sequences, even when there's only a limited region of similarity. Moreover, one can use it to search both private local databases and downloaded copies of NCBI databases. Ultimately, if you need a powerful tool to help you find similarities among large sequence data sets, then you should consider the BLAST software.