COMPare Analysis of Sequences with Software



The COMprehensive Protein Allergen REsource (COMPARE) database is a peer-reviewed, publicly accessible, database of allergen amino acid sequences. A key feature of the COMPARE allergen database is its capability in aiding an assessment of potential allergy health hazards, by using comparative sequence software.

COMPARE is now equipped with a comparative sequence search software as a built-in feature: COMPASS (COMPare Analysis of Sequences with Software), incorporating the open source FASTA software package (FASTA v36). In this tool page, COMPARE users can conduct website-based, real-time use of the COMPARE database to produce amino acid sequence alignments (between two or more amino acid sequences). The tool is oriented to regulatory safety review of novel foods and feeds, and implementation of criteria to help establish whether relevant alignments have occurred. The criteria are oriented to identifying amino acid sequence alignments that might be observed for any sequence compared with the COMPARE database.

COMPASS Intended use:
The intended use of the built-in COMPASS tool is to provide users the possibility of assessing the degree of shared sequence similarity between an amino acid sequence of interest ("query sequence") and allergen sequences within the COMPARE database. To this end, the user can perform three different types of sequence searches, using either default parameters or manually adjusted parameters.

The selection of search features available on the database tool was informed by FAO/WHO (2001) and CODEX Alimentarius guidelines on the testing of genetically modified plants for allergenicity (2003,2009). Users are highly encouraged to consult those guidelines for full details.

Search options in COMPASS:
Users can choose to perform three independent types of sequence comparisons:

NOTE: Guidance for "input parameters" and/or "output criteria" is provided in each search page by clicking in the blue question marks.

FAO/WHO (2001) has recommended that IgE cross-reactivity between a particular protein and allergen be considered when there is greater than 35% identity over a sliding "window" of 80 amino acids. The 35% identity threshold was based on data indicating protein cross-reactivity occurring between Bet v 1 and vegetable proteins at approximately 40% protein identity (Scheurer et al., 1999). The 80 amino acid window was selected to represent the size of a 'typical' protein domain.

Additional educational materials regarding the use of bioinformatics for risk assessment, FASTA, E-value, criteria for significance, the sliding window search process, as well as all references cited, are available in the "About" page (top left tab).

NOTE: The COMPASS tool does NOT cache personal identification data or automatically store information. Users must download the appropriate reports/files in order to keep a record of work.

Quick Check: is your source organism in COMPARE?

Genus Species # of sequences
Artemisia absinthium 1
Artemisia annua 2
Artemisia californica 1
Artemisia frigida 2
Artemisia tridentata 2
Gadus chalcogrammus 2
Artemisia ludoviciana 2
Aedes aegypti 26
Oryza sativa 40
Acacia farnesiana 1
Acarus siro 2
Acheta domesticus 2
Actinidia arguta 3
Actinidia chinensis 7
Actinidia deliciosa 22
Actinidia eriantha 3
Aedes albopictus 6
Agrostis alba 3
Alnus glutinosa 2
Alternaria alternata 19
Amaranthus retroflexus 3
Ambrosia artemisiifolia 40
Ambrosia psilostachya 5
Ambrosia trifida 1
Amphioctopus fangsiao 2
Anacardium occidentale 4
Ananas comosus 2
Anisakis pegreffii 5
Anisakis simplex 32
Anopheles cracens 2
Anthoxanthum odoratum 3
Apis cerana 2
Apis dorsata 2
Apis mellifera 20
Apium graveolens 7
Arachis hypogaea 51
Argas reflexus 2
Artemisia argyi 2
Artemisia capillaris 1
Artemisia gmelinii 1
Artemisia lavandulifolia 1
Artemisia sieversiana 1
Artemisia vulgaris 13
Ascaris lumbricoides 14
Ascaris suum 3
Aspergillus flavus 1
Aspergillus fumigatus 39
Aspergillus niger 3
Aspergillus oryzae 3
Aspergillus versicolor 1
Bacillus lentus 1
Bacillus licheniformis 2
Bacillus sp. 1
Balanus rostratus 1
Bassia scoparia 2
Bertholletia excelsa 2
Beta vulgaris 4
Betula pendula 70
Betula platyphylla 3
Betula sp. 2
Blattella germanica 28
Blomia tropicalis 27
Bombus pensylvanicus 2
Bombus terrestris 2
Bombyx mori 5
Bos taurus 26
Brassica juncea 1
Brassica napus 6
Brassica oleracea 1
Brassica rapa 6
Buchanania lanzan 3
Candida albicans 3
Candida boidinii 1
Canis familiaris 14
Cannabis sativa 3
Capsicum annuum 2
Carica papaya 2
Carpinus betulus 19
Carya illinoinensis 49
Caryota mitis 1
Castanea sativa 6
Catharanthus roseus 1
Cavia porcellus 5
Chamaecyparis obtusa 4
Charybdis feriata 1
Chenopodium album 4
Chionoecetes opilio 2
Chironomus kiiensis 1
Chironomus thummi thummi 15
Cicer arietinum 1
Citrullus lanatus 1
Citrus limon 1
Citrus sinensis 5
Cladosporium cladosporioides 2
Cladosporium herbarum 12
Clupea harengus 3
Cocos nucifera 4
Coffea arabica 3
Coprinus comatus 1
Coptotermes formosanus 2
Corylus avellana 27
Crangon crangon 6
Crassostrea angulata 2
Crassostrea gigas 2
Crassostrea virginica 1
Crocus sativus 2
Cryptomeria japonica 25
Ctenopharyngodon idella 1
Cucumis melo 6
Cucurbita maxima 9
Culex quinquefasciatus 10
Cupressus arizonica (Hesperocyparis arizonica) 6
Cupressus sempervirens 11
Curvularia lunata 4
Cynodon dactylon 16
Cyprinus carpio 3
Dactylis glomerata 8
Daucus carota 19
Delonix regia 20
Dermatophagoides farinae 76
Dermatophagoides microceras 1
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 74
Dermatophagoides siboney 1
Dioscorea opposita 1
Dolichovespula arenaria 1
Dolichovespula maculata 5
Echinococcus granulosus 1
Epicoccum nigrum 1
Equus asinus 1
Equus caballus 8
Erimacrus isenbeckii 2
Eriocheir sinensis 2
Euphausia pacifica 1
Euphausia superba 1
Euroglyphus maynei 4
Evynnis japonica 2
Exopalaemon modestus 1
Fagopyrum esculentum 14
Fagopyrum tataricum 5
Fagus sylvatica 3
Felis catus 13
Foeniculum vulgare 5
Forcipomyia taiwana 2
Fragaria x ananassa 16
Fraxinus excelsior 5
Fulvia mutica 1
Fusarium culmorum 3
Fusarium lateritium 2
Fusarium proliferatum 2
Gadus callarias 1
Gadus morhua 6
Galleria mellonella 2
Gallus gallus 31
Glossina morsitans 4
Gloydius brevicaudus 1
Glycine max 43
Glycine soja 1
Glycyphagus domesticus 3
Gromphadorhina portentosa 1
Haliotis discus 2
Haliotis diversicolor 1
Helianthus annuus 9
Helix aspersa 1
Hevea brasiliensis 42
Holcus lanatus 7
Homarus americanus 2
Hordeum vulgare 11
Humulus japonicus 2
Humulus scandens 2
Juglans nigra 3
Juglans regia 6
Juniperus ashei 4
Juniperus oxycedrus 2
Juniperus rigida 2
Juniperus virginiana 3
Lactuca sativa 1
Lates calcarifer 2
Lathyrus sativus 1
Lens culinaris 3
Lepidoglyphus destructor 21
Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis 1
Lepisma saccharina 2
Ligustrum vulgare 2
Lilium longiflorum 1
Liposcelis bostrychophila 2
Litchi chinensis 2
Litopenaeus setiferus 1
Litopenaeus vannamei (Penaeus vannamei) 4
Lolium perenne 13
Lupinus albus 9
Lupinus angustifolius 16
Lupinus luteus 3
Lycium barbarum 1
Macrobrachium rosenbergii 2
Macruronus magellanicus 3
Macruronus novaezelandiae 1
Malassezia furfur 4
Malassezia globosa 1
Malassezia sympodialis 14
Malus domestica 61
Mangifera indica 7
Manihot esculenta 2
Manilkara zapota 2
Marsupenaeus japonicus 1
Mercurialis annua 1
Merluccius australis 3
Merluccius bilinearis 3
Merluccius capensis 1
Merluccius gayi 2
Merluccius merluccius 2
Merluccius paradoxus 3
Merluccius polli 2
Merluccius productus 2
Mesocricetus auratus 3
Metapenaeus ensis 1
Mimachlamys nobilis 1
Morus alba 1
Morus bombycis 2
Morus nigra 1
Mus musculus 3
Musa acuminata 7
Mustelus griseus 3
Myrmecia banksi 1
Myrmecia pilosula 25
Neptunea polycostata 1
Nicotiana tabacum 2
Octopus vulgaris 1
Olea europaea 86
Ommastrephes bartramii 1
Onchocerca volvulus 1
Oncorhynchus keta 1
Oncorhynchus mykiss 5
Oratosquilla oratoria 1
Oreochromis mossambicus 1
Oryctolagus cuniculus 2
Ostrya carpinifolia 1
Pachycondyla chinensis 1
Pandalus borealis (Pandalus eous) 2
Panulirus stimpsoni 1
Paralithodes camtschaticus 2
Parietaria judaica 12
Parietaria officinalis 8
Parthenium hysterophorus 1
Paspalum notatum 9
Penaeus aztecus 1
Penaeus chinensis 1
Penaeus latisulcatus 1
Penaeus merguiensis (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis) 2
Penaeus monodon 8
Penaus chinensis (Fenneropenaeus chinensis) 2
Penicillium brevicompactum 1
Penicillium chrysogenum 6
Penicillium citrinum 9
Penicillium crustosum 1
Penicillium oxalicum 1
Periplaneta americana 30
Periplaneta fuliginosa 1
Perna viridis 1
Persea americana 1
Phalaris aquatica 6
Phaseolus mungo 1
Phaseolus vulgaris 2
Phleum pratense 67
Phodopus sungorus 3
Phoenix dactylifera 1
Phoenix sylvestris 19
Pinus pinea 2
Pistacia vera 6
Pisum sativum 5
Plantago lanceolata 5
Platanus orientalis 2
Platanus x acerifolia 4
Plodia interpunctella 2
Poa pratensis 7
Polistes annularis 3
Polistes dominula 10
Polistes exclamans 1
Polistes fuscatus 1
Polistes gallicus 2
Polybia paulista 6
Pontastacus leptodactylus 1
Populus nigra 1
Portunus pelagicus 1
Portunus sanguinolentus 1
Portunus trituberculatus 1
Procambarus clarkii 4
Prosopis Juliflora 1
Prosopis juliflora 10
Protobothrops flavoviridis 1
Protobothrops mucrosquamatus 3
Protortonia cacti 1
Prunus armeniaca 6
Prunus avium 10
Prunus domestica 1
Prunus dulcis 17
Prunus dulcis x Prunus persica 7
Prunus mume 1
Prunus persica 16
Pseudocardium sachalinense 1
Punica granatum 5
Pyrus communis 7
Quercus alba 3
Quercus ilex 1
Quercus mongolica 2
Rana esculenta 2
Rana sp. 2
Rapana venosa 8
Rastrelliger kanagurta 1
Rattus norvegicus 3
Rhizopus oryzae 2
Rhodotorula mucilaginosa 2
Ricinus communis 1
Rubus idaeus 2
Salmo salar 7
Salsola kali 11
Salvelinus fontinalis 2
Sarcoptes scabiei 10
Sardinops sagax 1
Scapharca broughtonii 1
Schedonorus arundinaceus 3
Schistosoma japonicum 2
Schizophyllum commune 1
Scomber japonicus 1
Scomber scombrus 1
Scylla paramamosain 5
Scylla serrata 2
Sebastes marinus 2
Secale cereale 7
Sepia esculenta 1
Sepioteuthis lessoniana 1
Sesamum indicum 10
Sinapis alba 14
Sinonovacula constricta 1
Solanum lycopersicum 11
Solanum melongena 1
Solanum tuberosum 12
Solen strictus 1
Solenopsis geminata 2
Solenopsis invicta 5
Solenopsis richteri 2
Solenopsis saevissima 1
Sorghum halepense 4
Stachybotrys chartarum 2
Staphylococcus aureus 6
Stegastes partitus 1
Stemphylium botryosum 1
Stemphylium callistephi 1
Stemphylium sp. 1
Stemphylium vesicarium 1
Strongyloides stercoralis 1
Suidasia medanensis 1
Sus scrofa 2
Syringa vulgaris 4
Tabanus yao 3
Tenebrio molitor 2
Thaumetopoea pityocampa 5
Thaumetopoea solitaria 1
Theragra chalcogramma 2
Thunnus albacares 4
Todarodes pacificus 1
Trachurus japonicus 1
Tresus keenae 1
Triatoma protracta 1
Trichophyton benhamiae (Arthroderma benhamiae) 3
Trichophyton mentagrophytes 1
Trichophyton rubrum 2
Trichophyton schoenleinii 2
Trichophyton tonsurans 1
Triplochiton scleroxylon 1
Triticum aestivum 111
Triticum turgidum 5
Triticum urartu 1
Turbo cornutus 1
Tyrophagus putrescentiae 17
Ulocladium botrytis 1
Urochloa mutica 3
Vachellia farnesiana 1
Venerupis philippinarum 1
Vespa affinis 2
Vespa crabro 3
Vespa magnifica 2
Vespa mandarinia 1
Vespa velutina 13
Vespula flavopilosa 1
Vespula germanica 5
Vespula maculifrons 4
Vespula pensylvanica 1
Vespula squamosa 2
Vespula vidua 1
Vespula vulgaris 8
Vigna radiata 5
Vitis sp. 3
Xiphias gladius 1
Zea mays 31
Ziziphus mauritiana 1
Zophobas atratus 1
Schistosoma mansoni 10
Quercus acutissima 3
Macadamia integrifolia 34
Scolopendra mutilans 1
Macrobrachium lanchesteri 3
Cherax quadricarinatus 5
Litopanaeus vannamei (Penaeus vannamei) 1
Thunnus tonggol 12
Aspergillus ochraceus 14
Zoysia matrella 1
Locusta migratoria 11