You can add more tutorial links in comments if found new pages.

Address of the bookmark: http://manuals.bioinformatics.ucr.edu/home/R_BioCondManual

As with most programs that run on UNIX, the text output is in some specific format. If the program is popular enough, there will be one or more parsers written for that format – these are just utilities written to help you retrieve whatever information you are interested in from the output.

Let’s conclude this tutorial by converting the BLAST output in out.txt into a spreadsheet format, using a Python script. 

First, we need to get the script. We’ll do that using the ‘git’ program:

git clone https://github.com/ngs-docs/ngs-scripts.git /root/ngs-scripts

We’ll discuss ‘git’ more later; for now, just think of it as a way to get ahold of a particular set of files. In this case, we’ve placed the files in /root/ngs-scripts/, and you’re looking to run the script blast/blast-to-csv.py using Python:

python /root/ngs-scripts/blast/blast-to-csv.py out.txt

This outputs a spread-sheet like list of names and e-values. To save this to a file, do:

python /root/ngs-scripts/blast/blast-to-csv.py out.txt > ~out.csv

If you have Excel installed, try double clicking on it.

Key Features of BLAST:
1. Sequence Comparison: BLAST searches for local alignments between the query sequence and sequences in a database. It identifies regions of similarity, which can help infer functional and evolutionary relationships.

2. Speed and Efficiency: BLAST uses heuristic algorithms, making it faster than exhaustive search methods, suitable for large-scale database searches.

3. Versatility: There are several versions of BLAST for different types of sequence comparisons:
- blastn: Compares a nucleotide query sequence against a nucleotide sequence database.
- blastp: Compares a protein query sequence against a protein sequence database.
- blastx: Compares a nucleotide query sequence translated in all reading frames against a protein sequence database.
- tblastn: Compares a protein query sequence against a nucleotide sequence database translated in all reading frames.
- tblastx: Compares the six-frame translations of a nucleotide query sequence against the six-frame translations of a nucleotide sequence database.

4. Scoring and E-value: BLAST results are scored based on the quality and length of the alignments. The E-value (expect value) indicates the number of alignments one can expect to find by chance, with lower E-values representing more significant matches.

5. Output Formats: BLAST provides results in various formats, including plain text, HTML, XML, and JSON, making it adaptable for different types of analyses and integrations with other tools.

Applications of BLAST:
- Genomic Research: Identifying genes, understanding genetic diversity, and mapping genome sequences.
- Protein Function Prediction: Inferring the function of unknown proteins by comparing them to known protein sequences.
- Evolutionary Studies: Exploring evolutionary relationships between organisms by comparing their genetic material.
- Medical Research: Identifying pathogens, understanding disease mechanisms, and developing treatments by comparing sequences of interest.

Overall, BLAST is an essential tool in bioinformatics, offering a reliable and efficient way to analyze and interpret biological sequence data.

Project Fellow – One Post

Duration: Three Years

Fellowship : Rs.14, 000/- per month + HRA

Walk-in-interview: 16th Sept, 2013 at 10.00 am

Venue : Department of Bioinformatics, Alagappa University

Eligible candidates can attend walk in interview for the post of Project Fellow in UGC supported project entitled “Shape and chemical feature based 3D- Pharmacophore Model generation, Virtual Screening and MESP studies to identify Potential Leads for Antifungal Azoles”

Interested candidates may apply to Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Singh, Principal Investigator, Department of Bioinformatics, Karaikudi with their Curriculum Vitae along with the copies of the certificates in proof of their educational qualification and experience at skysanjeev@gmail.com

Qualification:

PG Degree in Bioinformatics / Chemistry/ Molecular Biology/ Biotechnology / Biophysics / Biochemistry / Life Sciences/ Pharmacy with minimum of 55% marks in the PG examinations

Desirable:

Research experience in Molecular modeling and CADD will be given preference. UGC-NET/ CSIR-JRF qualified candidates will get preference.

The posts are purely on temporary basis. No TA/DA will be paid for attending the interview.

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