This is where KiNext comes into the picture. Introduced in a 2024 study published in BMC Bioinformatics, KiNext is a computational workflow designed to identify and classify protein kinases from predicted protein sequences. Instead of relying on a single search method, it brings together several approaches, including Hidden Markov Models, sequence alignment, phylogenetic analysis, and structural comparison.

The search begins with a simple question: does a protein contain the characteristics of a kinase? Protein kinases can change considerably during evolution, but important regions of their sequences often retain recognizable patterns. KiNext uses Hidden Markov Models, or HMMs, to detect these patterns. An HMM does not require a protein to be an exact match to a known kinase. Instead, it looks for a statistical sequence signature associated with kinase proteins, making it possible to detect more distant candidates.

Once potential kinases are identified, KiNext takes the analysis further. It distinguishes conventional eukaryotic protein kinases from atypical protein kinases and then attempts to classify them into different kinase groups and families. This distinction is important because simply identifying a protein as a kinase does not tell the complete story. Different kinase families can have very different evolutionary histories and biological functions.

The next stage brings evolution into the picture. KiNext can align kinase sequences and construct phylogenetic trees, allowing researchers to examine how newly identified proteins are related to previously characterized kinases. When sequence evidence alone is difficult to interpret, structural information can provide another clue. The workflow can incorporate AlphaFold-predicted structures and Foldseek-based structural comparisons to investigate whether an unusual protein resembles known kinase structures.

The researchers tested KiNext using two very different organisms: the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, and the green alga Ostreococcus tauri. In C. gigas, KiNext recovered previously reported kinases while identifying additional candidates. Structural analysis provided further evidence for many of the newly detected proteins. In O. tauri, the workflow similarly recovered most previously reported kinases and identified additional candidates while refining some of their classifications.

What makes KiNext particularly interesting is not just its ability to find kinases, but how the entire analysis is organized. The workflow uses Nextflow, allowing the different computational steps to be connected into a reproducible pipeline. Containers can also help manage software dependencies, making it easier to run the workflow across different computing environments.

This reproducibility becomes increasingly important as the number of available genomes continues to grow. A researcher studying one organism may be able to perform an analysis manually, but repeating the same process across hundreds or thousands of genomes quickly becomes impractical. A standardized workflow provides a way to perform the analysis consistently while keeping track of how the results were generated.

At its core, KiNext demonstrates a broader change taking place in modern genomics. Sequencing a genome provides an enormous amount of information, but the real scientific challenge begins afterward: understanding what all those sequences mean. Protein kinases are only one part of this larger puzzle, yet they are particularly important because they act as molecular switches throughout the cell.

By combining sequence profiles, evolutionary analysis, and structural evidence within a reproducible computational framework, KiNext provides researchers with a systematic way to uncover these molecular switches. Its real value lies not only in finding more kinases, but in making the process scalable, repeatable, and easier to apply to new genomes.

As genome sequencing continues to expand across the tree of life, tools such as KiNext can help turn enormous collections of protein sequences into meaningful biological stories—one kinase at a time.

Read more about it @

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12859-024-05953-w

The most common newbie questions are:

Should I try to use these free open source programs?  Why are we not trying GUI software for computational analysis? Should I use commercial bioinformatics programs/software?”

1. Let’s be open

We generally think free and cheap are useless. But this concept is not applicable when we discuss open source software. Mostly, the bioinformatics software is developed by highly competitive biological programmers who believe in open sharing of knowledge. They come under Open Bioinformatics Foundation or O|B|F which is a non-profit, volunteer run organization focused on supporting open source programming in bioinformatics. The best part about open source tools/software is that they’re free to download the source code and read exactly what the program does. If you are so inclined, you can view all of the parts of the program and see the logical flow of the pipeline. In addition, open source makes an excellent learning tool for any beginning bioinformatician. Moreover, you can modify existing open source programs to deal with cutting-edge problems or to customize your pipeline. Apart from your computational and analysis work, most of the reviewer also prefers the open source based results so that they can validate the results if validation required.

2. Code headache

As a bioinformatician you are supposed to know the basics of programming languages, and if you are not good at it, then please learn it as soon as possible because you are not a bio-analyst but biological programmers. The open source programs usually lack dedicated service and support teams (often because they were the product of an overworked doc/postdoc!) so you are responsible for troubleshooting your own errors most of the time. We commonly receive the HELP email to support and assist to setup the pipeline; you can also find this kind of request on any QA forum. I personally believe this coding horror brings the biggest downside of open-source programs; where you need some programming skills in order to implement the program in your pipeline. But, if you are not able to fix the pipeline and modify the open source code according to your requirements them you should re-think on your bioinformatician name tag!!!

3. Dive into the codes

Some of the biologist turn bioinformatician says “if you can do the same thing with commercial software then why to get migraine with weird codes”, well this statement looks to me that guys are keen to learn swimming but still don’t like to get wet. If you are still using paid software and doing your work by customer support and clicking some of the well-designed GUI button then perhaps you are not interested in learning and trying new and challenging bioinformatics works. You are missing the basic flavour of bioinformatics. Let’s dive into the coding world, I am sure your will enjoy it. I recommend your to swim freely in code’s sea, and enjoy the journey; do not merely watch it from the outside.  

4. Paid does not mean better

The bioinformatics company which are specializes in bioinformatics solutions develop well designed/packed, user friendly software by using a large number of specialised scientist, programmers and support staff. They also provide good services to accomplice your biological analysis work. This means that if you hit a ‘snag’ with your data, help is likely only a phone call away! These companies price their products competitively against the cost of a dedicated bioinformatician. You may be able to afford the program, but not the additional staff! Additionally, most of the functionality that you need in your analysis is already coded into the program. Need to plot a graph? Just click this button right here. It is that easy. But, as a bioinformatician this is not generally well encouraged approach in biological analysis work, because the software is not available to everyone and your data can’t be validated. Moreover, there is very less chances that anyone will repeat your work or love to do similar kind of research (because not all the labs in the world are rich like yours).

5. Take a caution

In biological analysis work, in which you deal GB/TB of data are having maximum chances of getting errors, so please be careful and always cross check your data before coming to any conclusion. Even an error in two line code can alter your entire analysis and display weird results. Some of the scientist blindly believes on commercial software, which is entirely wrong. Using proprietary tools does not absolve you of the need to actually read and research the type of analysis that you are doing. This is particularly true in the case of genome assembly and annotation.

At the end, I would like to tell only one think that open source solutions allows you to do more cutting edge analysis than the commercial tools. So let’s go for it.

Disclaimer:

This is my personal view. I have nothing to do with any company or open source community. The views expressed on these pages are mine alone and not those of my current/past employers. I do reserve the right to remove comments left by spammers or off-topic comments.

Address of the bookmark: http://www.ogt.com/assets/0000/3190/NGS_Survey_2013_Infographic_Web.pdf

Genomics England will play a key role in building on the UK’s long track record as leader in medical science advances to push the boundaries by unlocking the power of DNA data. The UK will become the first ever country to introduce this technology in its mainstream health system – leading the global race for better tests, better drugs and above all better, more personalised care.

http://www.genomicsengland.co.uk/100k-genome-project/

Source:  Igor Ulitsky & Ron Shamir

Address of the bookmark: http://acgt.cs.tau.ac.il/guides/LiteratureGuide.htm

SciGenom Research Foundation (SGRF) and Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) are pleased to host the Next-Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics for Genomics & Healthcare conference.

In the ten years since the first human reference genome was completed for US$3 billion the sequencing technologies have radically changed leading to great reduction in sequencing cost. Today a human genome can be sequenced for under US$ 5000 in less than two weeks. It is expected that by the end of 2015 the cost of sequencing a human genome will drop to below thousand dollars. The next generation sequencing technologies over the past five years have enabled a large number of genomic studies that impact human health and disease. Also, this has made possible the growth of microbial, animal and plant genomics studies. While the data production has increased at a rapid pace challenges remain in analyzing and understanding the data. The conference will cover the next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, bioinformatics for NGS and applications of NGS in many areas including personalized medicine.

For more info : http://www.scigenomconferences.com/2013/default.php

PNAS papers:
http://www.pnas.org/search?author1=Janet+Kelso&sortspec=date&submit=Submit

Jobs:
http://www.eva.mpg.de/genetics/bioinformatics/jobs.html

Contact:
Kelso Group
Department of Evolutionary Genetics
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
Germany
Email: kelso@eva.mpg.de

Candidates must have: a PhD degree in statistics, biostatistics or bioinformatics, extensive experience in analyzing high-dimensional data (microarray, SNP, CNVs) and of validation approaches. In addition, experience in penalized regression methods, data base manipulation; and strong programming skills in order to conduct Monte Carlo studies and applications (R). Candidate must have excellent communication skills (verbal, written and presentation), a strong proficiency in Linux system.

This position is available immediately and will be filled as soon as possible. Appointment could be extended beyond the first year based on additional funding.

For more information about the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, please visit our website: http://www.biostat.duke.edu.

For more info: http://biostat.duke.edu/sites/biostat.duke.edu/files/Halabi%20-%20Postdoc%20Job%20Posting%202013%20updated.pdf

Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

"Computational Methods for the Analysis of the Diversity and Dynamics of Genomes"

has currently open positions for graduate students, to study at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada) and
Bielefeld University (Germany), starting in the fall 2014.

This international graduate program is a close cooperation of:

Bielefeld University, Germany: Graduate progam "DiDy"
Simon Fraser University (SFU), Vancouver, Canada: Graduate program "MADD-Gen"

The available positions include six PhD positions at Bielefeld University, as well as PhD and MSc positions at SFU.

Application deadline: December 31st, 2013
Webpage: http://wiki.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/didy/Announcement