BOL: Related items

Bioinfo Lab

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 00:17:00 -0600

The Institute of Bioinformatics conducts internationally renowned research and provides profound education in bioinformatics. Its research focuses on development and application of machine learning and statistical methods in biology and medicine.

Contact:
Computer Science Building (Science Park 3)
Altenberger Str. 69, A-4040 Linz, Austria
Tel. +43 732 2468 4520 / Fax +43 732 2468 4539
E-mail secretary@bioinf.jku.at

http://www.bioinf.jku.at/

The Role of lncRNA in Bioinformatics: Unlocking the Secrets of the Genome

LEGE — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 02:09:47 -0600

In the intricate dance of molecular biology, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as key players, capturing the interest of researchers worldwide. These RNA molecules, once dismissed as "junk," have proven to be vital in the regulation of gene expression, cellular processes, and the progression of diseases. The intersection of lncRNA studies and bioinformatics is transforming our understanding of these enigmatic molecules, offering profound insights into their structure, function, and therapeutic potential.

What Are lncRNAs?

lncRNAs are RNA transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that do not code for proteins. Despite their non-coding nature, they play diverse roles in gene regulation, including chromatin remodeling, transcriptional control, and post-transcriptional processing. Unlike messenger RNAs (mRNAs), lncRNAs often function as scaffolds, decoys, or guides in cellular machinery, influencing biological processes such as cell differentiation, immune response, and even cancer metastasis.

Challenges in lncRNA Research

Identifying and understanding lncRNAs pose unique challenges:

High Sequence Variability: Unlike protein-coding genes, lncRNAs exhibit low sequence conservation across species, making functional predictions difficult.
Low Expression Levels: lncRNAs are often expressed at low levels, complicating their detection in transcriptomic data.
Diverse Functions: The multifunctional nature of lncRNAs requires advanced computational tools to decipher their roles in complex networks.

Bioinformatics: A Crucial Ally in lncRNA Research

Bioinformatics bridges the gap between raw biological data and meaningful insights, making it indispensable in lncRNA research. Here’s how:

1. Identification and Annotation

High-throughput sequencing technologies like RNA-seq generate vast amounts of data. Bioinformatics tools such as StringTie, Cufflinks, and HISAT2 help assemble and annotate lncRNAs from this data. Additionally, databases like NONCODE, LNCipedia, and Ensembl provide curated repositories of lncRNA sequences and annotations.

2. Functional Prediction

Bioinformatics algorithms predict the potential functions of lncRNAs by analyzing their interactions with DNA, RNA, and proteins. Tools like LncRNA2Function and RIblast utilize sequence motifs and secondary structure predictions to hypothesize about the roles of specific lncRNAs.

3. Network Construction

lncRNAs often act as regulatory hubs. Bioinformatics platforms such as Cytoscape enable the visualization of lncRNA-mediated networks, elucidating their roles in pathways like cell cycle regulation and apoptosis.

4. Epigenetic Studies

lncRNAs are known to interact with chromatin-modifying complexes, influencing gene expression epigenetically. Tools like ChIP-seq and ATAC-seq, combined with computational pipelines, identify these interactions and map them to the genome.

5. Clinical Applications

Bioinformatics aids in the discovery of lncRNA biomarkers for diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Machine learning models analyze differential expression profiles, helping prioritize lncRNAs with therapeutic potential.

Case Study: lncRNAs in Cancer Research

lncRNAs such as HOTAIR and MALAT1 have been implicated in cancer progression. Bioinformatics analyses have revealed their roles in promoting metastasis and altering the tumor microenvironment. For example, transcriptome analysis in cancer patients identifies lncRNA expression signatures, enabling precision medicine approaches.

Future Directions

The fusion of bioinformatics with experimental biology is unlocking the secrets of lncRNAs. Advances in artificial intelligence, single-cell sequencing, and structural modeling promise to overcome current limitations. Here are some promising directions:

Integrative Analysis: Combining multi-omics data to understand the interplay of lncRNAs with other biomolecules.
CRISPR Screens: Leveraging bioinformatics to design CRISPR-based functional screens for lncRNAs.
Therapeutic Development: Using bioinformatics to design lncRNA-based therapeutics, including antisense oligonucleotides and RNA interference tools.

Conclusion

lncRNAs are the hidden gems of the genome, and bioinformatics is the key to unearthing their full potential. As research progresses, lncRNAs could pave the way for novel diagnostics, targeted therapies, and personalized medicine, revolutionizing our approach to complex diseases.

The journey into the world of lncRNAs is only beginning, and bioinformatics will continue to play a pivotal role in decoding these molecular mysteries. Whether you’re a researcher, clinician, or bioinformatics enthusiast, the study of lncRNAs offers a fascinating frontier of discovery.

JBrowse: Embeddable genome browser built completely with JavaScript and HTML5

Jit — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 09:19:56 -0500

JBrowse is a fast, embeddable genome browser built completely with JavaScript and HTML5, with optional run-once data formatting tools written in Perl. Headline Features: Fast, smooth scrolling and zooming. Explore your genome with unparalleled speed. Scales easily to multi-gigabase genomes and deep-coverage sequencing. Quickly open and view data files on your computer without uploading them to any server. Supports GFF3, BED, FASTA, Wiggle, BigWig, BAM, VCF (with either .tbi or .idx index), REST, and more. BAM, BigBed, BigWig, and VCF data are displayed directly from chunks of the compressed binary files, no conversion needed. Includes an optional “faceted” track selector (see demo) suitable for large installations with thousands of tracks. Very light server resource requirements. In fact, JBrowse has no back-end server code, just tools for formatting data files to be read directly over HTTP. Serve huge datasets from a single low-cost cloud instance. Can run as a stand-alone app on OSX and Windows using the Electron platform Highly extensible plugin architecture, with a large plugin registry of existing examples here https://gmod.github.io/jbrowse-registry https://jbrowse.org/

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/GMOD/jbrowse

Update Genome Workbench 2.7.15 released

Surabhi Chaudhary — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 16:12:17 -0600

NCBI Genome Workbench is an integrated application for viewing and analyzing sequence data. With Genome Workbench, you can view data in publically available sequence databases at NCBI, and mix this data with your own private data.

Genome Workbench can display sequence data in many ways, including graphical sequence views, various alignment views, phylogenetic tree views, and tabular views of data. It can also align your private data to data in public databases, display your data in the context of public data, and retrieve BLAST results.

Genome Workbench is built on the NCBI C++ ToolKit and uses cross-platform APIs for graphics. It runs on your local machine, and is available for Windows 2000/XP, Linux, MacOS X, and various flavors of Unix.

NCBI Genome Workbench is an integrated application for viewing and analyzing sequence data. Genome Workbench was developed entirely in-house at NCBI and makes use of the NCBI C++ ToolKit. The C++ ToolKit provides a convenient and flexible cross-platform API for managing system internals, database connections, network sockets, and the NCBI data model. In addition, the C++ ToolKit provides the Object Manager, which abstracts handling of sequences and sequence-related objects.

New Features in Genome Workbench 2.7.15

Multiple Alignment View: implemented adaptive feature display when zooming in
Active Objects Inspector replaces Selection Inspector. New View should offer an improved selection context examination. See Using Active Objects Inspector tutorial for more details.
Binary packages for Linux OpenSUSE 13.1 are now available

Bug Fixes and Improvements in Genome Workbench 2.7.15

Fixed major issue with OpenGL overlay/scrolling. Could cause crashes or view scrolling irregularities
Multiple Pane View: fixed crash on loading BLAST results
Graphical Sequence View: fixed crash on zooming in and out, related to SNP track
Graphical Sequence View: fixed Go To Position dialog to give better diagnostics in case of a user error
Graphical Sequence View: PDF export fixed rendering of Markers with commas in the name
Text View / Flat File: fixed Mac OS rendering issues
Text View / Flat File: performance optimization, extended capabilities of real-time rendering of molecules to tens of thousands
File Import: optimization improvement to speed up load of files containing multiple project items
File Import: remapping stage now shows accession.version and description of molecules, instead of plain GI numbers
Mac OS: improved tooltips for toolbar buttons
Phylogenetic Tree Builder Tool: improved diagnostics of errors
Multiple Alignment View: optimizations to avoid main GUI freezes
Open Dialog: removed duplicate elements in table of genomes (load Genome)
PDF export: fixed issue with XREF table errors
Tree View: fixed issues with showing Force Layout progress on Mac OS
Tree View: PDF export fixed issues for showing labels of collapsed nodes
Tree View: added an option to stop layout
Tree View: broadcasting mechanism fixed not to accumulate selected nodes

Reference:

NCBI news

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/tools/gbench/

How to sequence the human genome - Mark J. Kiel

Fri, 30 May 2014 13:24:11 -0500

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-sequence-the-human-genome-mark-j-kiel Your genome, every human's genome, consists of a unique DNA sequence of A's, T's, C's and G's that tell your cells how to operate. Thanks to technological advances, scientists are now able to know the sequence of letters that makes up an individual genome relatively quickly and inexpensively. Mark J. Kiel takes an in-depth look at the science behind the sequence. Lesson by Mark J. Kiel, animation by Marc Christoforidis.

Nieduszynski Group

Fri, 26 Sep 2014 19:35:06 -0500

Complete, accurate replication of the genome is essential for life. All chromosomes in eukaryotic cells must be duplicated and then segregated to daughter cells to ensure genetic integrity and produce the large number of cells that make up a multicellular organism. We are using genetic, genomic and computational methods to understand how chromosome replication is regulated to ensure genome stability. By focusing on the basic biology that underpins cell growth and division we aim to provide new insights that may help our understanding of diseases such as cancer and congenital disorders.

More http://www.nieduszynski.org/index.php
http://www.path.ox.ac.uk/research/cell-biology-and-pathology/conrad-nieduszynski-group

A 3D Map of the Human Genome

Fri, 12 Dec 2014 22:27:55 -0600

Suhas Rao and Miriam Huntley (of the Aiden Lab) describe a 3D map of the human genome at kilobase resolution, revealing the principles of chromatin looping. Guest Origami Folding: Sarah Nyquist. Suhas S.P. Rao*, Miriam H. Huntley*, Neva C. Durand, Elena K. Stamenova, Ivan D. Bochkov, James T. Robinson, Adrian L. Sanborn, Ido Machol, Arina D. Omer, Eric S. Lander, Erez Lieberman Aiden. (2014). A 3D Map of the Human Genome at Kilobase Resolution Reveals Principles of Chromatin Looping. Cell.

Sequencing By Xpansion

Jitendra Narayan — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 20:58:11 -0500

Sequencing By Xpansion (SBX) is a DNA sequencing method that uses a simple biochemical reaction to encode the sequence of a DNA molecule into a highly measurable surrogate called an Xpandomer. This single molecule approach produces enough Xpandomer in a single drop reaction to sequence an entire human genome 1000X over. To achieve this, an Xpandomer replaces each DNA sequence with a sequence of large, high signal reporter molecules using the SBX molecular expansion technology. The DNA sequence is then read out as the Xpandomer reporters pass sequentially through a nanopore detector. SBX is a molecular engineering platform that benefits from core design principles that separate the multiple molecular functions. This systems approach enables efficient development and incorporation of improvements to SBX and is key to reconfiguring and optimizing Xpandomer measurement for different detection platforms.

http://www.stratosgenomics.com/stratos-genomics-technology

Genome Stability Laboratory

Mon, 07 Mar 2016 04:16:32 -0600

The bakers yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an ideal model organism to understand mechanisms of meiotic chromosome segregation. In S. cerevisiae and in mammals, the majority of meiotic crossovers are formed through a highly conserved MSH4p-MSH5p, MLH1p-MLH3p dependent pathway. We are interested in charactering the role of these complexes in crossover formation and distribution among all homolog pairs. Errors in this process are linked to congenital birth defects in humans such as Down's syndrome.Our laboratory is also interested in understanding the effect of genetic background on mutation rate variation using S. cerevisiae as a model. These studies are relevant for understanding cancer progression, genome evolution and architecture. We use high- throughput genomic methods as well as classical genetics to achieve these aims.

More at http://faculty.iisertvm.ac.in/~nishantkt/index.html

Katju Lab

Fri, 26 Feb 2016 03:25:32 -0600

TheLab seek to understand the genetic factors contributing to genomic variation and phenotypic diversity. To this end, we employ molecular and bioinformatic tools to study evolutionary processes at the level of populations, both experimental and natural, and genomes. Our research interests encompass a wide range of topics, including the evolution of organellar and nuclear genomes, gene duplication and the origin of novel function, and the fitness and phenotypic consequences of mutation in evolution. For details regards ongoing projects, please see the Research page.

http://katjulab.com/research.html