mixtureS that can de novo identify bacterial strains from shotgun reads of a clonal or metagenomic sample, without prior knowledge about the strains and their variations. Tested on 243 simulated datasets and 195 experimental datasets, mixtureS reliably identified the strains, their numbers and their abundance. Compared with three tools, mixtureS showed better performance in almost all simulated datasets and the vast majority of experimental datasets.

Address of the bookmark: http://www.cs.ucf.edu/~xiaoman/mixtureS/

Reference

Cuccuru G1, Orsini M, Pinna A, Sbardellati A, Soranzo N, Travaglione A, Uva P, Zanetti G, Fotia G. (2014) Orione, a web-based framework for NGS analysis in microbiology. Bioinformatics [Epub ahead of print]. [article]

Address of the bookmark: http://orione.crs4.it/

Reference:

https://www.pacb.com/blog/young-investigators-share-stellar-science-career-advice-and-bioinformatics-tools-at-smrt-leiden-2021/

Most people who have a balanced translocation have the right amount of chromosome material but it has been rearranged in some way. This may happen if two chromosomes swap pieces (a reciprocal translocation). In other cases two whole chromosomes may become stuck together (a Robertsonian translocation). This page describes what happens when someone has a reciprocal translocation.

Reciprocal chromosomal translocations occur following double-strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA when a section of one chromosome is exchanged with that of another, non-homologous chromosome. These exchanges may produce a dysfunctional fusion gene that disrupts cell growth and survival pathways, such as the translocations seen in leukemia and childhood sarcomas.

Chromosomal translocations have been well studied in cancer cell lines which are associated with two types of cancer, acute myeloid leukemia and Ewing's sarcoma, but determining how they contribute to cancer development is complicated by additional mutations and altered gene expression profiles in these cultured cells. Now, Juan Carlos Ramirez, head of the Viral Vector Facility at the Fundacion Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) and his colleagues Raul Torres at CNIC and Sandra Rodriguez-Peralez at the Spanish National Cancer Center (CNIO) in Madrid, Spain have used a new genome editing tool, CRISPR-Cas9, to induce chromosomal translocations for the first time in a human cell line and in primary cells. The study's authors conclude by stating that the use of this technology will allow for the clarification of how and why chromosomal translocation occurs, which without doubt will allow new anti-cancer therapeutic strategies to be tackled.

Using RNA-Guided Endonuclease (RGEN) technology or CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering technology, CNIO and CNIC researchers have shown that it is possible to obtain such chromosomal translocations. The CRISPR-Cas9 system is extremely simple to introduce a cut at the desired locus, easier to design, and cheaper than many other systems. Using the CRISPR-Cas9 system, Ramirez and his colleagues reproduced the translocations observed in Ewing’s Sarcoma (ES) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patient cell lines in HEK293 cells and also generated the ES translocation in human mesenchymal stem cells and the AML translocation in umbilical cord blood cells.

By focusing on chromosomal translocation without the confounding characteristics of established cell lines, these new cells lines should help answer the fundamental question of what causes a cell to become cancerous. Ramirez and his team now look forward to modeling other chromosome translocations in a variety of cell types.

Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromosomal_translocation

http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140603/ncomms4964/abs/ncomms4964.html

QuorUM is distributed as an independent software package and as a module of the MaSuRCA assembly software. Both are available under the GPL open source license at http://www.genome.umd.edu.

Address of the bookmark: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0130821

Brief description: We are looking for suitable candidates in the area o computational biology/bioinformatics/genomics or related field for next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis for small-RNAs, RNA-Seq and targeted resequencing of plants and associated organisms. We are an interdisciplinary group where projects equally involve bioinformatics and systems biology (specially microarrays and next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis and its use), along with plant molecular biology, genetic engineering, field biology, and analytical plant chemistry for understanding response of plants to biotic stresses.

Essential qualification: MSc/BTech/MTech/PhD (or other suitable qualification) in disciplines preferable to bioinformatics, computational biology, computer application (or equivalent)/ ‘Advance Post-Graduate Diploma in Bioinformatics’. Proficiency in programming languages (such as Perl, C++) and/or statistics (proficient in R for example) is compulsory.

Desirable qualification: Experience in the field of genomics e.g. microarray analysis, NGS, genome annotation, database development and management, software development, systems and network biology (or related fields) will be preferred.

Application process: Applications should contain CV along with brief description (maximum 1 page) of research conducted (highlighting skills and experience) till now. Applications should be sent by e-mail to Shree Prakash Pandey, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur Campus, WB, India within 14 days of this advertisement.

E-mail: sppiiserkol@gmail.com, sppandey@iiserkol.ac.in

Advertisement:

http://www.iiserkol.ac.in/announcements/adverts/671-advt_ra_shree_prakash_july_2014

Address of the bookmark: http://pacb.com/blog/the-hifi-difference-true-long-reads-vs-synthetic-long-reads/

ADVERTISEMENT NO: NITR/SR/CH-BIF/2014/30

Applications are invited on prescribed format for the following assignment in a purely time bound research project undertaken in the Department of Biotechnology & Medical Engineering of the Institute.

1. Name of the Temporary Post : Senior Research Fellow-01
2. Name of the Research Project: “ Bioinformatics Infrastructure Facility (BIF)”
3. Name of the Sponsoring Agency: DBT, Government of India, 4 Tenure of the Project : 12th Five year Plan
5 Tenure of the Assignment : 01 year [Likely to be extended for 04 more years]
6 Job Description : BIF Maintenance and Active Research in Bioinformatics
7. Consolidated monthly compensation / Fellowship: Rs.18,000/- P.M.

8. Essential Qualifications and experience: B.Tech with valid GATE Score or M.Tech degree in Biotechnology/Bioinformatics/Computer Science/Computational Biology
9. Desirable Qualifications/ Experiences: Experience of Programming in PERL,R, Python, Unix and Visual Studio + Knowledge in NGS data analysis work flows ,WGS and statistical packages such as CRAN-R,MATLAB etc.

10. Accommodation : Bachelor accommodation in the Institute may be provided subject to availability.
11. For technical information on the project, the candidate may contact the Principal Investigator at the following address:

Name : Prof. Mukesh K Gupta
Address : Dept. of Biotechnology & Medical Engineering,
N.I.T.Rourkela-769 008
Telephone No : 0661-2462294
E-mail : guptam@nitrkl.ac.in

Eligible persons may apply in the prescribed format (available in the Institute Website)affixed with coloured photographs to be submitted in duplicate along with photo copies of relevant certificates, grade/ mark sheets, publications etc., to Asst. Registrar, SRICCE,
National Institute of Technology, Rourkela–769 008 before 22.08.2014. The cover should be super- scribed clearly the post applied for & Name of the Project.

Mere possession of minimum qualification does not guarantee invitation to the interview.
Candidates will be short listed based on merit and need of the project.

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http://www.nitrkl.ac.in/IntraWeb/Jobs_Tenders/Jobs/ProjectFellowship/2014/141707192838_1.pdf

Before you go down that path, consider this critical biological question:
Are you sequencing human cells—or bacterial contamination?

The Silent Saboteur: Mycoplasma in Cell Cultures

Mycoplasma contamination remains one of the most widespread and underdiagnosed issues in tissue culture work. Studies suggest that 15–35% of cell lines in use may be contaminated, often without visible signs. Unlike other microbial infections, Mycoplasma does not produce cloudiness, odor, or a change in pH. Many researchers won’t detect it unless they specifically test for it.

The consequences, however, are profound. Mycoplasma can significantly alter:

• Host gene expression patterns

• Cell proliferation rates

• Epigenetic profiles and chromatin accessibility

• Cytokine signaling and immune responses

In short, it can skew your results, compromise your biological conclusions, and invalidate weeks or months of research.

A Simple Diagnostic Step: Map Against Mycoplasma Genomes

If you encounter poor alignment rates to the human genome, consider mapping your reads to a Mycoplasma reference genome—or better yet, use a combined human + Mycoplasma reference. There have been cases where over half of all reads, initially assumed to be from human cells, were in fact bacterial in origin. This check is fast, easy, and could save your project.

How Contamination Happens—and Persists

Mycoplasma is small (0.1–0.3 μm), lacks a cell wall, and can pass through standard filters undetected. Common sources include:

• Contaminated reagents (e.g., FBS)

• Infected cell lines obtained from other labs

• Poor aseptic technique or shared equipment

Once present, it spreads quickly between cultures and can persist for months, silently affecting results.

Why Treatment Is Difficult

While antibiotics such as Plasmocin or BM-Cyclin are sometimes used, they often offer only partial resolution and may themselves alter cell behavior. In many cases, the best course of action is to discard the contaminated culture and start with a fresh, verified stock.

Practical Recommendations for Researchers

• Routinely test for Mycoplasma using PCR, qPCR, or fluorescence-based assays

• Incorporate contamination screens into your sequencing QC pipeline

• Use combined reference genomes when mapping ambiguous reads

• Practice strict aseptic technique and monitor all incoming cell lines

• Don’t ignore unexplained data anomalies—they might point to contamination

Closing Thought: Contamination Is a Biological Variable

It’s easy to view poor mapping as a technical issue, but sometimes the problem lies deeper—in the biology itself. Mycoplasma contamination doesn’t just interfere with sequencing; it interferes with science. As a research community, we must treat contamination not as an afterthought, but as a key variable to control.

So next time your reads won’t align, don’t just tune the aligner. Ask if your cells are telling the truth—or if they're hiding something.

Studentship and Traineeship in Bioinformatics

Applications are invited on plain paper from suitable candidates for Studentship and Traineeship (One each) at Bioinformatics Sub-Center as detailed below:

1. Studentship: Studentship is for those who have completed M. Sc. Degrees in Life Science.

Number of seats : One

Duration : Six months

Eligibility : Passed M.Sc. degree in Life Sciences.

Fellowship : Rs. 5000/- (Five thousand only) per month

2. Traineeship: Traineeship is for those who have completed M. Sc. Degrees in Life Science/Registered Ph. D. student in Life Sciences.

Number of seats : One

Duration : Six months

Eligibility : Passed M.Sc. degree in Life Sciences/ Registered Ph. D. student in Life Sciences

Fellowship : Rs. 5000/- (Five thousand only) per month

Preferences will be given to person who has experience in Bioinformatics and Computer
sciences. The application along with detailed bio-data should reach the undersigned, on or before 25th August 2014. Both, the studentship and the traineeship are temporary, will be discontinued after the six months from the date of Joining. It may be discontinued in-between without any notice, if the work is not found satisfactory.

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