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
Protobothrops flavoviridis 1
Cicer arietinum 1
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 75
Carya illinoinensis 49
Artemisia vulgaris 13
Ambrosia artemisiifolia 40
Pisum sativum 5
Citrullus lanatus 3
Protobothrops mucrosquamatus 3
Procambarus clarkii 4
Scylla paramamosain 5
Fragaria x ananassa 16
Alternaria alternata 19
Fusarium proliferatum 2
Oryza sativa 40
Parthenium hysterophorus 1
Acacia farnesiana (Vachellia farnesiana) 2
Prosopis juliflora 11
Amphioctopus fangsiao 2
Mangifera indica 11
Equus caballus 8
Juglans regia 6
Juglans nigra 3
Mesocricetus auratus 3
Salsola kali 11
Dermatophagoides farinae 76
Liposcelis bostrychophila 2
Plantago lanceolata 5
Cupressus sempervirens 9
Punica granatum 5
Thaumetopoea solitaria 1
Canis familiaris 14
Sus scrofa 2
Bombyx mori 5
Solanum lycopersicum 11
Aedes aegypti 26
Zea mays 32
Gloydius brevicaudus 1
Sarcoptes scabiei 10
Blomia tropicalis 27
Gallus gallus 31
Actinidia deliciosa 22
Bos taurus 28
Apis mellifera 19
Brassica rapa 6
Betula pendula 70
Glycine max 43
Hevea brasiliensis 42
Hordeum vulgare 11
Ricinus communis 1
Solanum tuberosum 12
Triticum aestivum 118
Triticum turgidum 5
Corylus avellana 29
Helianthus annuus 9
Bertholletia excelsa 2
Poa pratensis 7
Ambrosia trifida 1
Staphylococcus aureus 6
Chironomus thummi thummi 15
Lolium perenne 13
Apis dorsata 2
Dermatophagoides microceras 1
Rattus norvegicus 3
Aspergillus oryzae 3
Carica papaya 3
Gadus callarias 1
Merluccius merluccius 2
Pontastacus leptodactylus 1
Bacillus licheniformis 2
Dolichovespula maculata 5
Dolichovespula arenaria 1
Polistes annularis 3
Vespula vulgaris 8
Felis catus 13
Triticum urartu 1
Mus musculus 3
Candida albicans 3
Arachis hypogaea 51
Alnus glutinosa 2
Bacillus lentus 1
Aspergillus niger 3
Betula sp. 2
Myrmecia pilosula 25
Agrostis alba 3
Anthoxanthum odoratum 3
Schedonorus arundinaceus 3
Phleum pratense 67
Carpinus betulus 19
Phalaris aquatica 6
Holcus lanatus 7
Cynodon dactylon 16
Vitis vinifera 23
Cladosporium herbarum 12
Cryptomeria japonica 25
Ambrosia psilostachya 5
Blattella germanica 28
Solenopsis invicta 5
Vespa crabro 3
Polistes fuscatus 1
Vespula flavopilosa 1
Vespula germanica 5
Vespula maculifrons 4
Vespula pensylvanica 1
Vespula squamosa 2
Vespula vidua 1
Lepidoglyphus destructor 21
Metapenaeus ensis 1
Syringa vulgaris 4
Aspergillus fumigatus 39
Parietaria judaica 12
Malus domestica 61
Glycine soja 1
Cucumis melo 6
Secale cereale 7
Penicillium chrysogenum 6
Vigna radiata 5
Sinapis alba 14
Dactylis glomerata 8
Prunus avium 10
Ascaris suum 3
Bacillus sp. 1
Malassezia sympodialis 14
Parietaria officinalis 8
Salmo salar 7
Daucus carota 21
Apium graveolens 7
Castanea sativa 6
Olea europaea 86
Chamaecyparis obtusa 4
Periplaneta americana 36
Brassica napus 6
Tyrophagus putrescentiae 19
Homarus americanus 2
Prunus armeniaca 6
Ascaris lumbricoides 14
Schistosoma japonicum 2
Mercurialis annua 1
Panulirus stimpsoni 1
Persea americana 1
Pyrus communis 7
Ligustrum vulgare 2
Prunus persica 16
Malassezia furfur 4
Crassostrea virginica 1
Euroglyphus maynei 4
Juniperus ashei 4
Helix aspersa 1
Coprinus comatus 1
Penicillium citrinum 9
Sesamum indicum 10
Juniperus oxycedrus 2
Strongyloides stercoralis 1
Trichophyton rubrum 2
Anisakis simplex 32
Musa acuminata 7
Solenopsis richteri 2
Vespa mandarinia 1
Glycyphagus domesticus 3
Cupressus arizonica (Hesperocyparis arizonica) 6
Charybdis feriata 1
Chironomus kiiensis 1
Apis cerana 2
Solenopsis geminata 2
Juniperus virginiana 3
Glossina morsitans 4
Prunus domestica 1
Haliotis diversicolor 1
Perna viridis 1
Mimachlamys nobilis 1
Oryctolagus cuniculus 2
Penicillium oxalicum 1
Betula platyphylla 3
Bombus terrestris 2
Gadus morhua 6
Theragra chalcogramma 2
Curvularia lunata 4
Crassostrea gigas 2
Triatoma protracta 1
Litchi chinensis 2
Plodia interpunctella 2
Capsicum annuum 3
Fagopyrum esculentum 14
Cyprinus carpio 3
Periplaneta fuliginosa 1
Fusarium culmorum 3
Lepisma saccharina 2
Rana esculenta 2
Rana sp. 2
Phoenix dactylifera 1
Manihot esculenta 2
Anacardium occidentale 4
Chenopodium album 4
Trichophyton schoenleinii 2
Trichophyton benhamiae (Arthroderma benhamiae) 3
Prunus dulcis 16
Epicoccum nigrum 1
Polistes gallicus 2
Platanus acerifolia 6
Penaeus monodon 13
Scomber japonicus 1
Lens culinaris 3
Rhodotorula mucilaginosa 2
Polistes dominula 10
Brassica juncea 1
Cavia porcellus 5
Humulus japonicus 2
Fraxinus excelsior 5
Humulus scandens 2
Juniperus rigida 2
Onchocerca volvulus 1
Suidasia medanensis 1
Penaeus chinensis (Fenneropenaeus chinensis) 2
Bombus pensylvanicus 2
Lates calcarifer 2
Stemphylium vesicarium 1
Stemphylium callistephi 1
Citrus sinensis 5
Polistes exclamans 1
Myrmecia banksi 1
Citrus limon 1
Morus bombycis 2
Nicotiana tabacum 2
Argas reflexus 2
Crocus sativus 2
Penicillium brevicompactum 1
Ziziphus mauritiana 1
Actinidia chinensis 7
Penaeus aztecus 1
Lilium longiflorum 1
Aspergillus flavus 1
Lupinus albus 9
Ananas comosus 2
Trachurus japonicus 1
Sepia esculenta 1
Sepioteuthis lessoniana 1
Todarodes pacificus 1
Ommastrephes bartramii 1
Octopus vulgaris 1
Dermatophagoides siboney 1
Rubus idaeus 2
Pistacia vera 6
Fagopyrum tataricum 5
Litopenaeus vannamei (Penaeus vannamei) 4
Acarus siro 2
Portunus sanguinolentus 1
Caryota mitis 1
Balanus rostratus 1
Marsupenaeus japonicus 1
Paralithodes camtschaticus 2
Erimacrus isenbeckii 2
Eriocheir sinensis 2
Cladosporium cladosporioides 2
Lupinus angustifolius 16
Scylla serrata 2
Portunus trituberculatus 1
Stemphylium sp. 1
Sinonovacula constricta 1
Euphausia superba 1
Euphausia pacifica 1
Oratosquilla oratoria 1
Platanus orientalis 2
Polybia paulista 6
Quercus alba 3
Paspalum notatum 9
Pachycondyla chinensis 1
Forcipomyia taiwana 2
Prunus dulcis x Prunus persica 8
Sardinops sagax 1
Beta vulgaris 4
Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis 1
Fagus sylvatica 3
Trichophyton mentagrophytes 1
Ruditapes philippinarum (Venerupis philippinarum) 1
Haliotis discus 2
Turbo cornutus 1
Neptunea polycostata 1
Scapharca broughtonii 1
Fulvia mutica 1
Pseudocardium sachalinense 1
Tresus keenae 1
Solen strictus 1
Xiphias gladius 1
Amaranthus retroflexus 3
Protortonia cacti 1
Crangon crangon 6
Sebastes marinus 2
Clupea harengus 3
Stachybotrys chartarum 2
Scomber scombrus 1
Salvelinus fontinalis 2
Oncorhynchus mykiss 5
Morus nigra 1
Macrobrachium rosenbergii 2
Phaseolus vulgaris 3
Solenopsis saevissima 1
Thunnus albacares 4
Aspergillus versicolor 1
Oncorhynchus keta 1
Coffea arabica 3
Ostrya carpinifolia 1
Thaumetopoea pityocampa 5
Schizophyllum commune 1
Tabanus yao 3
Macruronus magellanicus 3
Merluccius australis 3
Merluccius gayi 2
Merluccius paradoxus 3
Merluccius productus 2
Merluccius bilinearis 3
Merluccius capensis 1
Merluccius polli 2
Macruronus novaezelandiae 1
Chionoecetes opilio 2
Pandalus borealis (Pandalus eous) 1
Vespa magnifica 2
Evynnis japonica 2
Penaeus merguiensis (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis) 2
Lycium barbarum 1
Penicillium crustosum 1
Oreochromis mossambicus 1
Actinidia eriantha 3
Actinidia arguta 3
Anisakis pegreffii 5
Manilkara zapota 2
Portunus pelagicus 1
Phodopus sungorus 3
Cannabis sativa 3
Vespa affinis 2
Morus alba 1
Stegastes partitus 1
Catharanthus roseus 1
Sorghum halepense 4
Rhizopus oryzae 2
Pinus pinea 2
Bassia scoparia 2
Brassica oleracea 1
Penaeus chinensis 1
Artemisia annua 2
Artemisia argyi 2
Artemisia capillaris 1
Artemisia gmelinii 1
Artemisia lavandulifolia 2
Artemisia sieversiana 2
Quercus mongolica 2
Rastrelliger kanagurta 1
Malassezia globosa 1
Prunus mume 1
Trichophyton tonsurans 1
Coptotermes formosanus 2
Mustelus griseus 3
Lathyrus sativus 1
Urochloa mutica 3
Fusarium lateritium 2
Echinococcus granulosus 1
Triplochiton scleroxylon 1
Candida boidinii 1
Phaseolus mungo 1
Foeniculum vulgare 5
Penaeus latisulcatus 1
Cocos nucifera 3
Equus asinus 1
Ulocladium botrytis 1
Lupinus luteus 3
Dioscorea opposita 1
Stemphylium botryosum 1
Solanum melongena 1
Acheta domesticus 2
Gromphadorhina portentosa 1
Galleria mellonella 2
Litopenaeus setiferus 1
Tenebrio molitor 2
Zophobas atratus 1
Aedes albopictus 6
Anopheles cracens 2
Culex quinquefasciatus 10
Crassostrea angulata 2
Artemisia absinthium 1
Artemisia californica 1
Artemisia frigida 2
Artemisia tridentata 2
Artemisia ludoviciana 2
Buchanania lanzan 3
Exopalaemon modestus 1
Gadus chalcogrammus 2
Phoenix sylvestris 19
Ctenopharyngodon idella 1
Delonix regia 20
Populus nigra 1
Quercus ilex 1
Cucurbita maxima 9
Vespa velutina 13
Rapana venosa 8
Macadamia integrifolia 11
Litopanaeus vannamei (Penaeus vannamei) 1
Locusta migratoria 11
Scolopendra mutilans 1
Aspergillus ochraceus 14
Quercus acutissima 3
Zoysia matrella 1
Macrobrachium lanchesteri 3
Cherax quadricarinatus 5
Schistosoma mansoni 10
Thunnus tonggol 12
Linum usitatissimum 7
Pila polita 5
Scophthalmus maximus 2
Pleurotus eryngii 2
Lentinula edodes 1
Prosopis velutina 54
Alectryonella plicatula (Crassostrea plicatula) 7
Callinectes bellicosus 7