BOL: Related items

Graph Genome Suite

Jit — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 07:59:54 -0500

Seven Bridges is the biomedical data analysis company accelerating breakthroughs in genomics research for cancer, drug development and precision medicine. We build self-improving systems to analyze millions of genomes, including the Graph Genome Suite — the most advanced population genomics tools in the world.

Address of the bookmark: https://www.sbgenomics.com/graph/

R Graphs !!

Jit — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 10:48:00 -0500

The blog is a collection of script examples with example data and output plots. R produce excellent quality graphs for data analysis, science and business presentation, publications and other purposes. Self-help codes and examples are provided. Enjoy nice graphs !!

Address of the bookmark: http://rgraphgallery.blogspot.be/

Statistics and probability

Jit — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 07:34:25 -0600

Topics

Displaying and describing data

Modeling distributions of data

Describing relationships in quantitative data

Designing studies

Probability

Random variables

Sampling distributions

Confidence intervals (one sample)

Significance tests (one sample)

Significance tests and confidence intervals (two samples)

Inference for categorical data (chi-square tests)

Advanced regression (inference and tran

Address of the bookmark: https://www.khanacademy.org/math/statistics-probability

GenomeComp

Jit — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 08:38:32 -0600

GenomeComp is a tool for summarizing, parsing and visualizing the genome wide sequence comparison results derived from voluminous BLAST textual output, so as to locate the rearrangements, insertions or deletions of genome segments between species or strains.

It can be easily used to compare, parsing and visualize large genomic sequences, especially closely related genomes such as inter-species or inter-strains. In addition, it can also show other sequence features like repeat sequence distributions in one whole-genome DNA sequence by comparing the genome to itself.

It is a stand-alone graphical user interface (GUI) program which runs on Linux, Unix, Mac OS X (tested on version 10.2.4 only) and Microsoft Windows platforms and is written in Perl/Tk.

Address of the bookmark: http://www.mgc.ac.cn/GenomeComp/

Pacbio Long Reads Compatible Software and Tools

Archana Malhotra — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 14:19:01 -0500

The following software packages are known to be compatible with PacBio® data, in addition to PacBio's own SMRT® Analysis suite. All packages are believed to be open source or freely available for non-commercial use. See the individual project sites for up-to-date license information. A separate page lists commercial software.

Know of any other open source software for PacBio data? Email us.

Software categories:

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/PacificBiosciences/DevNet/wiki/Compatible-Software

sequenceserver

Jit — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 08:51:55 -0600

SequenceServer lets you rapidly set up a BLAST+ server with an intuitive user interface for use locally or over the web.

More at http://sequenceserver.com.

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/wurmlab/sequenceserver

Eugene V. Koonin Lab

Tue, 09 Jan 2018 05:01:15 -0600

Interested in understanding the evolution of life. To obtain glimpses of such understanding, we employ existing and new methods of computational biology to perform research in several major areas.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/research/groups/koonin/

SciLifeLab tutorial for bioinformatics analysis !

Jit — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 04:33:00 -0500

SciLifeLab is a national center for molecular biosciences with focus on health and environmental research.

Courses

Old courses (2012-2014)

Jvarkit : Java utilities for Bioinformatics

Jit — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 09:31:55 -0500

Collection of Java tool kits for bioinformatics works: Jvarkit : Java utilities for Bioinformatics

Address of the bookmark: http://lindenb.github.io/jvarkit/

RNA-Seq Analysis: A Guide for Bioinformaticians

LEGE — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 22:22:24 -0600

RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) has revolutionized transcriptomics, offering unprecedented insights into gene expression, splicing, and transcript diversity. For bioinformaticians, RNA-Seq analysis is a gateway to exploring the complexity of RNA biology and its implications in health and disease. This blog post provides an overview of RNA-Seq analysis, key computational steps, and tools for bioinformaticians eager to delve into this powerful technique.

What is RNA-Seq?

RNA-Seq is a next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology used to study the transcriptome—the complete set of RNA molecules in a cell. It quantifies gene expression, detects novel transcripts, and captures alternative splicing events with high sensitivity and resolution.

Workflow for RNA-Seq Analysis

RNA-Seq analysis involves several stages, each requiring computational tools and expertise.

1. Experimental Design and Data Acquisition

Before diving into analysis, bioinformaticians should consider:

Biological Replicates: Ensure statistical power to detect meaningful differences.
Sequencing Depth: Align sequencing depth to study objectives (e.g., higher depth for low-abundance transcripts).
Paired-End vs. Single-End: Paired-end sequencing provides more detailed information on transcript structure.

Once sequencing is complete, raw data is provided in FASTQ format, containing sequence reads and quality scores.

2. Quality Control and Preprocessing

Quality control (QC) ensures data integrity. Tools such as FastQC evaluate metrics like base quality, GC content, and adapter contamination.

Preprocessing Steps:

Trimming: Tools like Trimmomatic or Cutadapt remove low-quality bases and adapter sequences.
Filtering: Discard reads below a certain quality threshold or length.

3. Read Alignment

Reads are mapped to a reference genome or transcriptome to determine their origin. Alignment tools include:

HISAT2: Handles large genomes efficiently and supports spliced alignments.
STAR: High-speed aligner optimized for RNA-Seq.
Bowtie2: Suitable for short-read alignment.

Output: A SAM/BAM file containing aligned reads.

4. Transcript Assembly and Quantification

This step involves identifying transcripts and quantifying their expression levels. Tools used include:

StringTie: Assembles and quantifies transcripts from aligned reads.
Salmon/Kallisto: Perform pseudo-alignment for rapid and accurate quantification.

Expression levels are typically measured as TPM (transcripts per million) or FPKM (fragments per kilobase of transcript per million mapped reads).

5. Differential Expression Analysis

To identify genes with altered expression between conditions, bioinformaticians use tools such as:

DESeq2: Accounts for data normalization and variability.
edgeR: Handles overdispersed count data efficiently.
Limma-voom: Combines linear modeling with RNA-Seq count data.

The output includes a list of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with statistical significance and fold-change values.

6. Functional Annotation and Pathway Analysis

Understanding the biological significance of DEGs involves:

Gene Ontology (GO) Analysis: Tools like DAVID or clusterProfiler categorize genes based on their biological functions.
Pathway Enrichment Analysis: Identifies pathways enriched in DEGs using tools like KEGG, Reactome, or GSEA.

7. Visualization

Visualizing results enhances interpretability. Common visualizations include:

Heatmaps: Show expression patterns across samples (e.g., pheatmap).
Volcano Plots: Highlight significant DEGs (e.g., ggplot2).
PCA/UMAP: Assess sample clustering and variability (e.g., Seurat).

Challenges in RNA-Seq Analysis

Batch Effects: Technical variability can confound biological signals. Combat this with normalization techniques or batch-correction tools like ComBat.
Low-Quality Samples: Poor-quality RNA impacts downstream analyses.
Computational Complexity: RNA-Seq generates massive datasets, requiring robust computing resources and optimized pipelines.

Key Tools and Resources

Bioconductor: A treasure trove of R packages for RNA-Seq analysis.
Galaxy: A web-based platform for running RNA-Seq workflows.
Nextflow/Snakemake: Workflow management tools to streamline analyses.

Applications of RNA-Seq

RNA-Seq is used in diverse research areas, including:

Cancer Transcriptomics: Identifying tumor-specific expression profiles.
Developmental Biology: Studying dynamic transcriptome changes.
Drug Discovery: Screening genes modulated by therapeutic compounds.

Conclusion

RNA-Seq analysis is a cornerstone of modern transcriptomics, offering bioinformaticians a versatile toolkit for unraveling gene expression and regulation. Mastering RNA-Seq workflows and tools empowers researchers to transform raw sequencing data into biological discoveries.

Whether you’re investigating disease mechanisms, exploring cellular pathways, or developing new therapeutics, RNA-Seq is a powerful ally in your bioinformatics arsenal.