Sequence alignment for molecular replacement

This article focuses on the key step of obtaining the best possible sequence alignment of the Query (the protein you are interested in) to the Target (a protein of known three-dimensional structure) in order to build a molecular model for molecular replacement. Common sequence-alignment methods are discussed, starting from structural alignment and then moving to pairwise, multiple and profile–profile methods. The limitations of sequence-alignment methods and guidelines on how to judge the likely accuracy of alignment are considered. This is not a detailed tutorial on how to use specific programs; rather, the reader is directed to current tools and techniques that are likely to yield good results.