Although it was initially designed for ribosomal RNA data, it can be used for nucleic acid and amino acid sequence data. A central database contains processed (aligned) primary structure data. Additional descriptive data can be stored in database fields assigned to the individual sequences or linked via local or worldwide networks.
This system was initially geared towards handling ribosomal RNA data but has expanded to accommodate nucleic acid and amino acid sequence data. A central database contains organized (aligned) primary structure information, which can be enhanced with extra descriptive details linked to specific sequences via various networks.