BOL: Related items

Bioinformatics Head (Bioinformatics Manager III), Cancer Genomics Research Laboratory at Frederick National Laboratory

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 00:19:48 -0500

Frederick National Laboratory seeking an enthusiastic, creative, and seasoned bioinformatics professional to join our leadership team and direct the exceptional Bioinformatics Group at the Cancer Genomics Research Laboratory (CGR). CGR has a diverse team of bioinformatics and computational scientists that support all areas of bioinformatics and data analysis (infrastructure, data QC, pipeline development and maintenance, data curation and sharing, methodology development, statistical analyses, machine learning approaches, and scientific interpretation).

More at https://leidosbiomed.csod.com/ats/careersite/jobdetails.aspx?site=4&c=leidosbiomed&id=2040

Meraculous: De Novo Genome Assembly with Short Paired-End Reads

Jit — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 04:36:10 -0600

We describe a new algorithm, meraculous, for whole genome assembly of deep paired-end short reads, and apply it to the assembly of a dataset of paired 75-bp Illumina reads derived from the 15.4 megabase genome of the haploid yeast Pichia stipitis. More than 95% of the genome is recovered, with no errors; half the assembled sequence is in contigs longer than 101 kilobases and in scaffolds longer than 269 kilobases. Incorporating fosmid ends recovers entire chromosomes. Meraculous relies on an efficient and conservative traversal of the subgraph of the k-mer (deBruijn) graph of oligonucleotides with unique high quality extensions in the dataset, avoiding an explicit error correction step as used in other short-read assemblers. A novel memory-efficient hashing scheme is introduced. The resulting contigs are ordered and oriented using paired reads separated by ∼280 bp or ∼3.2 kbp, and many gaps between contigs can be closed using paired-end placements. Practical issues with the dataset are described, and prospects for assembling larger genomes are discussed.

Address of the bookmark: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3158087/

GAPPadder: A Sensitive Approach for Closing Gaps on Draft Genomes with Short Sequence Reads

Jit — Mon, 14 May 2018 05:25:48 -0500

This software is provided ``as is” without warranty of any kind. In no event shall the author be held responsible for any damage resulting from the use of this software. The program package, including source codes, executables, and this documentation, is distributed free of charge. If you use this program in a publication, please cite the following reference:
Chong Chu, Xin Li, and Yufeng Wu. "GAPPadder: A Sensitive Approach for Closing Gaps on Draft Genomes with Short Sequence Reads." bioRxiv (2017): 125534.

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/Reedwarbler/GAPPadder

GMcloser: closing gaps in assemblies accurately with a likelihood-based selection of contig or long-read alignments

Shruti Paniwala — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 05:43:44 -0500

GMcloser uses likelihood-based classifiers calculated from the alignment statistics between scaffolds, contigs and paired-end reads to correctly assign contigs or long reads to gap regions of scaffolds, thereby achieving accurate and efficient gap closure. We demonstrate with sequencing data from various organisms that the gap-closing accuracy of GMcloser is 3–100-fold higher than those of other available tools, with similar efficiency. https://academic.oup.com/bioinformatics/article/31/23/3733/209212

Address of the bookmark: https://academic.oup.com/bioinformatics/article/31/23/3733/209212

SIMBA: a Genome Assembly Project Management System

Neel — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 08:52:25 -0600

SIMBA, SImple Manager for Bacterial Assemblies, is a Web interface for managing assembly projects of bacterial genomes. SIMBA was created to assist bioinformaticians to assemble bacterial genomes sequenced with NextGeneration Sequencing (NGS) platforms quickly, easily and effectively. SIMBA also is open source tool, i.e., can be freely downloaded, shared and modified.

Address of the bookmark: http://ufmg-simba.sourceforge.net/

piRNA and Bioinformatics: Decoding the Guardians of the Genome

LEGE — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 02:15:11 -0600

In the symphony of small RNAs, PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) stand out as the protectors of genomic integrity. These small, non-coding RNAs play critical roles in silencing transposable elements, regulating gene expression, and maintaining germline stability. The rise of bioinformatics has revolutionized our understanding of piRNAs, enabling researchers to decipher their biogenesis, functions, and evolutionary significance.

What Are piRNAs?

piRNAs are the largest class of small non-coding RNAs, typically 24–32 nucleotides in length. Unlike microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), piRNAs do not rely on Dicer enzymes for maturation. Instead, they are processed from long single-stranded precursors and associate with PIWI proteins, a subclass of the Argonaute protein family.

The primary functions of piRNAs include:

Silencing Transposable Elements: By targeting transposons, piRNAs prevent genomic instability, particularly in germline cells.
Regulating Gene Expression: piRNAs modulate gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.
Epigenetic Modulation: They guide epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, to specific genomic loci.

Challenges in piRNA Research

Studying piRNAs is fraught with challenges, including:

Short Length: Their small size complicates sequencing and alignment.
Lack of Sequence Conservation: Unlike miRNAs, piRNAs exhibit limited sequence conservation across species.
Complex Biogenesis: The intricate pathways of piRNA generation require sophisticated computational tools to unravel.

Bioinformatics: Illuminating the World of piRNAs

Bioinformatics has emerged as an indispensable tool for studying piRNAs, facilitating their discovery, annotation, and functional analysis. Here's how bioinformatics is transforming piRNA research:

1. Identification and Annotation

The discovery of piRNAs relies on next-generation sequencing (NGS) data. Bioinformatics tools such as piRNApredictor and Piano identify piRNA clusters and predict potential targets. Databases like piRBase and piRNAdb curate information about known piRNAs, their sequences, and associated proteins.

2. Mapping and Alignment

piRNAs often originate from repetitive regions, making their alignment challenging. Tools like Bowtie and STAR handle the unique mapping requirements of piRNAs, enabling accurate identification of piRNA clusters in genomes.

3. Functional Analysis

Bioinformatics approaches predict piRNA functions by analyzing their interactions with transposons, genes, and epigenetic marks. Algorithms such as TargetFinder and RIblast explore piRNA-mRNA interactions, shedding light on regulatory networks.

4. Evolutionary Studies

piRNAs are evolutionarily diverse, reflecting their roles in species-specific genomic defense. Comparative genomics tools help trace the evolution of piRNA clusters and their associated PIWI proteins across species.

5. Epigenomic Insights

piRNAs are key players in epigenetic regulation. Bioinformatics pipelines integrate piRNA data with chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) and DNA methylation data to uncover their role in shaping the epigenome.

Case Study: piRNAs in Germline Integrity

One of the hallmark functions of piRNAs is the suppression of transposable elements in the germline. For example, in Drosophila melanogaster, piRNAs target retrotransposons like gypsy and copia. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that these piRNAs guide PIWI proteins to transposon-derived RNA, ensuring genome stability during gametogenesis.

Clinical Relevance of piRNAs

Recent studies suggest that piRNAs may serve as biomarkers for diseases such as cancer, infertility, and neurodegenerative disorders. For instance:

Cancer: Dysregulated piRNA expression has been linked to tumorigenesis, making them potential targets for cancer therapies.
Infertility: Aberrant piRNA pathways are implicated in male infertility due to their role in spermatogenesis.
Neurodegeneration: piRNAs may regulate neuronal gene expression, highlighting their potential in neurological research.

Future Directions

The integration of bioinformatics with emerging technologies offers exciting opportunities for piRNA research:

Single-Cell Sequencing: Unveiling cell-specific piRNA expression and function.
Machine Learning: Predicting piRNA functions and targets with greater accuracy.
CRISPR-Based Tools: Editing piRNA clusters to explore their roles in vivo.

Conclusion

piRNAs are the unsung guardians of the genome, safeguarding genetic material from transposable elements and contributing to gene regulation and epigenetic programming. Bioinformatics has opened the floodgates of discovery, unraveling the complexities of piRNAs and their myriad roles in biology and disease.

As we continue to decode the piRNA landscape, these small RNAs promise to unveil big secrets about genome stability, evolution, and human health, cementing their place as a fascinating frontier in molecular biology.

De novo Genome Assembly for Illumina Data

Rahul Nayak — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 05:13:29 -0600

Written and maintained by Simon Gladman - Melbourne Bioinformatics (formerly VLSCI)

Protocol Overview / Introduction

In this protocol we discuss and outline the process of de novo assembly for small to medium sized genomes.

https://www.melbournebioinformatics.org.au/tutorials/tutorials/assembly/assembly-protocol/

Address of the bookmark: https://www.melbournebioinformatics.org.au/tutorials/tutorials/assembly/assembly-protocol/

Genome Assembly Workshop 2020

Jit — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 04:30:32 -0500

Our team offers custom bioinformatics services to academic and private organizations. We have a strong academic background with a focus on cutting edge, open source software. We replicate standard analysis pipelines (best practices) when appropriate, and/or develop novel applications and pipelines when needed, however we always emphasize biological interpretation of the data.

More at https://ucdavis-bioinformatics-training.github.io/

Address of the bookmark: https://ucdavis-bioinformatics-training.github.io/2020-Genome_Assembly_Workshop/snakemake/snakemake_intro

ALE: Assembly Likelihood Estimator

BioStar — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 01:39:33 -0600

Just import the assembly, bam and ALE scores. You can convert the .ale file to a set of .wig files with ale2wiggle.py and IGV can read those directly. Depending on your genome size you may want to convert the .wig files to the BigWig format.

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/sc932/ALE

33rd Annual Convention of Indian Association for Cancer Research from 13th to 15th February 2014

Tue, 27 Aug 2013 10:37:08 -0500

RGCB is organizing the 33rd Annual Convention of Indian Association for Cancer Research from 13th to 15th February 2014 with the theme "Discovery, Innovation and Translation in Cancer Research"

Kindly log on to conference website http://rgcb.res.in/IACR2014 for further details and timely updates and registration. We shall truly appreciate if the same be circulated among your friends, scholars and students encouraging them to participate in the meet.

http://210.212.237.38/iacrconference/