BACKGROUND: Viroids, satellite RNAs, satellites viruses and the human hepatitis 
delta virus form the 'brotherhood' of the smallest known infectious RNA agents, 
known as the subviral RNAs. For most of these species, it is generally accepted 
that characteristics such as cell movement, replication, host specificity and 
pathogenicity are encoded in their RNA sequences and their resulting RNA 
structures. Although many sequences are indexed in publicly available databases, 
these sequence annotation databases do not provide the advanced searches and 
data manipulation capability for identifying and characterizing subviral RNA 
motifs.
DESCRIPTION: The Subviral RNA database is a web-based environment that 
facilitates the research and analysis of viroids, satellite RNAs, satellites 
viruses, the human hepatitis delta virus, and related RNA sequences. It 
integrates a large number of Subviral RNA sequences, their respective RNA 
motifs, analysis tools, related publication links and additional pertinent 
information (ex. links, conferences, announcements), allowing users to 
efficiently retrieve and analyze relevant information about these small RNA 
agents.
CONCLUSION: With its design, the Subviral RNA Database could be considered as a 
fundamental building block for the study of these related RNAs. It is freely 
available via a web browser at the URL: http://subviral.med.uottawa.ca.