BlastXtract--a new way of exploring translated searches.

SUMMARY: Searches of translated, unannotated genomic DNA sequences against protein databases is a useful early-stage method for discovering protein homologues encoded by the sequence, but generates huge amounts of output data that quickly become impregnable. BlastXtract is a web-based tool for managing and visualizing results from large translated BLAST and FastA searches. It combines the speed and storage benefits of relational database management systems with an easy-to-use graphical navigation map, and greatly facilitates the early exploration of genomic sequence. AVAILABILITY: BlastXtract can be downloaded from http://bioinfo.ucc.ie/blastxtract/.