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Submission of a query amino acid sequence
Specification of output
Graphical representation
Downloading results as a text file
Textual assignment and uncertainty
External links to information on allergens
Submission of a query amino acid sequence
Only amino acid sequences in FASTA-format are accepted for e-Testing of potential allergenicity/cross-reactivity by EVALLER™. An amino acid sequence occurring in the above-mentioned format begins with a single-line annotation, with an introductory symbol appearing as ">". The annotation line is followed by one or several lines of sequence data in single-letter code (see example below). An amino acid sequence can be either typed/pasted into the main acceptor panel or uploaded as a file. Submission of multiple sequences is not possible at the current time, and will generate an error message. Sequences of 40 residues or shorter will also be dismissed, since they differ markedly in length from the average training protein of EVALLER™, thereby being difficult to assess.
Specification of output
A graphical representation of the query amino acid sequence and the best FLAP match(es), will accompany each EVALLER™ output. In a drop-down menu, appearing below the panel, the user can specify a preferred number of such matches, within a range of 1-7, to become visible in the graphical representation section as well as in a textual format.
Graphical representation
In a panel, appearing in the uppermost part of the screen, the query amino acid sequence occurs as a bar in either green or red colour, depending on whether the test assignment is negative (“Presumably not an allergen”) or positive (“Presumably an allergen”). Below this representation the query matching FLAPs come into view as short bars in descending darkness of grey, signifying decreasing degree of similarity (the darkest bar represents the best matching FLAP).
Downloading results as a text file
A clickable link, which allows the user to download results as a text file, is available directly below the graphical representation.
Textual assignment and uncertainty
A textual EVALLER™ assignment of the query protein, being either of the two assessment categories “Presumably not an allergen” or “Presumably an allergen”, is accompanied by a class-specific symbol. Moreover, an uncertainty probability of each EVALLER™ assignment is also provided, which is defined according to output category. In the case of assessment as an allergen, the uncertainty value reflects the probability of EVALLER™ reporting a false alarm for this assignment. In the event of a query being assigned as a presumable non-allergen, the uncertainty value corresponds to the probability of EVALLER™ overlooking an allergen, in the context of the particular assignment.
External links to information on allergens
Information on alignments of query amino acid sequence and the best matching FLAPs is displayed below outputs on assignment and statistics. Each alignment is accompanied by an external NCBI-associated identification link of the allergen corresponding to the best matching FLAP. A click on this link will redirect the user to the NCBI protein database, wherein a more detailed description of the allergen can be found and retrieved.