Module 9

What is FASTA?

The standard format for biological sequences.

A common format

FASTA is the most common format for storing biological sequences. It is a simple text format: a header line starting with >, followed by the sequence.

PythonA FASTA record.
>Tv01 sample sequence
ATGCGTAATGC
Why it matters

FASTA is used everywhere in bioinformatics. Understanding it is essential for working with real data.

What character starts a FASTA header?