diff --git a/.utilities.R b/.utilities.R
index ca633fd..09f56d4 100644
--- a/.utilities.R
+++ b/.utilities.R
@@ -2,10 +2,11 @@
 #
 # Miscellaneous R code to suppport the project
 #
-# Version: 1.3
-# Date:    2017  09 - 2017  10
+# Version: 1.3.1
+# Date:    2017  09 - 2019  11
 # Author:  Boris Steipe
 #
+# V 1.3.1  prefix Biostrings:: to subseq()
 # V 1.3    load msa support functions
 # V 1.2    update database utilities to support 2017 version of JSON sources
 # V 1.1    2017 updates for ABC-units
@@ -134,7 +135,8 @@ waitTimer <- function(t, nIntervals = 50) {
 
 
 fetchMSAmotif <- function(ali, mot) {
-  # retrieve a subset from ali that spans the sequence in mot.
+  # Retrieve a subset from ali that spans the sequence in mot.
+  # Biostrings package must be installed.
   # Parameters:
   #    ali        MsaAAMultipleAlignment object
   #    mot  chr   substring within ali
@@ -169,7 +171,7 @@ fetchMSAmotif <- function(ali, mot) {
   x <- as.numeric(x)
   x <- cumsum(x)
 
-  return(subseq(ali@unmasked,
+  return(Biostrings::subseq(ali@unmasked,
                 start = which(x == motifStart)[1], # get the first position
                 end   = which(x == motifEnd)[1]))
 }