Continued development of SeqAPASS
EPA’s Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility (SeqAPASS) is a fast online screening tool that allows researchers to extrapolate toxicity information across species. SeqAPASS version 7.0, released in September 2023, allows users to incorporate protein structural evaluations of conservation in the SeqAPASS analysis. Using the integrated Iterative Threading ASSEmbly Refinement tool, users can generate protein structures. They can then use those structures or incorporate additional structures from tools like the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank and AlphaFold to align them to their chosen species, typically a known sensitive species. From there, users can add evidence based on structural similarity to their sequence similarity data in their chemical susceptibility predictions. This work has been leveraged to support agency decision-making relative to pollinators, the Endangered Species Act, and Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). SeqAPASS version 7.1, which will incorporate data and tool updates, is planned for release in early 2024.