Mulan: Multiple-sequence local alignment and visualization for studying function and evolution

Mulan, a novel method and a network server for comparing multiple draft and finished-quality sequences to identify functional elements conserved over evolutionary time, is introduced. The uses and applications of Mulan tool through multispecies comparisons of the GATA3 gene locus and the identification of elements that are conserved in a different way in avians than in other genomes, allowing speculation on the evolution of birds are illustrated.