tRNAdb 2009 is the new version of "Compilation of tRNA sequences and tRNA genes". A paper describing this database is published in the Nucleic Acids Research Database Issue 2009 (F. Jühling, M. Mörl, R. K. Hartmann, M. Sprinzl, P. F. Stadler, and J. Pütz. tRNAdb 2009: compilation of tRNA sequences and tRNA genes. Nucleic Acids Res., 2009, Vol. 37, Database issue: D159-D162).

tRNAdb 2009 was funded by the French CNRS, the German DFG and by the universities of Leipzig, Marburg and Strasbourg. The project was made possible by the specific bilateral French-German program PROCOPE (2007/2008) financed by the the french ministry of foreign and european affairs (MAEE) and by the German Deutscher Akademischer Auslandsdienst (DAAD).

tRNAdb 2009 contains currently more than 12.000 tRNA genes from 577 species and 623 tRNA sequences from 104 species, classified into families according to amino acid specificity as defined by anticodon triplets. This is the follow-up of previous issues of the database which has been published for the first time in 1978 (compilation of tRNA sequences) by Sprinzl and coworkers and was continued in 1993, 1996, 1998 and 2005 (Sprinzl,M. and Vassilenko,K.S. (2005). Compilation of tRNA sequences and sequences of tRNA genes. Nucleic Acids Res., 33, Database issue:D139-140).

tRNAdb 2009, to be updated regularly, provides various services including graphical representations of tRNA secondary structures, a customizable output of aligned or un-aligned sequences with a variety of individual and combinable search criteria, the construction of consensus sequences for any selected set of tRNAs, as well as the illustration of consensus and derived typical cloverleaf structures with features of conservation for any selected set of tRNAs. Furthermore, the implementation of the NCBI taxonomy tree facilitates phylogeny-related queries. The new tRNA database can be accessed at http://trnadb.bioinf.uni-leipzig.de.

tRNAdb 2009 provides a powerful and fast search engine. Taxons can be identified by browsing the taxonomic tree or by using the search form. Queries can include DNA or RNA sequences, amino acid family, anticodon, references, Pubmed-ID of the reference, gene ID as well as comments. In addition, individual searches concerning sequence or structure characteristics are possible. The server accepts IDs of the new as well as the old tRNA database as queries and can perform BLAST searches. All sequences can be downloaded in several file- and alignment formats on the result list.
A complete list of abbreviations for modified bases in RNA sequences can be downloaded here.


This site is hosted and maintained in a cooperation between the universities of Leipzig (Germany), Marburg (Germany) and Strasbourg (France).