<heading lvl="0">Abstract of Disclosure< / heading> The invention provides novel methods for characterizing the function of nucleic acids and polypeptides. The invention provides a novel method for identifying a
nucleic acid or a polypeptide sequence that may be a target for a
drug. The invention provides a novel method for identifying a
nucleic acid or a polypeptide sequence that may be essential for the growth or viability of an
organism. The characterization is based on use of methods of the invention comprising algorithms that can identify functional relationships between diverse sets of non-homologous
nucleic acid and polypeptide sequences. The invention provides a
computer program product, stored on a computer-readable medium, for identifying a nucleic acid or a polypeptide sequence that may be essential for the growth or viability of an
organism. The invention provides a
computer program product, stored on a computer-readable medium, for identifying a nucleic acid or a polypeptide sequence that may be a target for a
drug. The invention provides a computer
system, comprising a processor and a
computer program product of the invention.