Figure 4.

RSEARCH statistics, a Distribution of scores for a search against random sequences. We searched a database of 10,000 random sequences of 10,000 nucleotides each with a GC composition of 50% using the precursor to the C. elegans miRNA mir-40 as the query [60]. We took the best score found for each of the 10,000 sequences in the database and plotted their distribution. We then calculated the mean and standard deviation and plotted the Gaussian distribution for those values. We also calculated K and λ for the Gumbel distribution and plotted that distribution. b Average observed number of hits with E-value less than a cutoff versus reported E-value for searches of various RNase P queries against database of Archaeal genomes. E-values were computed using partition points of 40% and 60% G+C content.