How to use TAREAN:

• Install a local instance of the pipeline using its source code available from bitbucket repository.
• Use  public Galaxy-based server at https://repeatexplorer-elixir.cerit-sc.cz/. The server is provided in frame of the Elixir CZ project and is maintained by CESNET and CERIT-SC. Simple registration is required to use this service.

Development of TAREAN was supported by ELIXIR CZ research infrastructure project (MEYS Grant No: LM2015047).

References

Novak, P., Avila Robledillo, L., Koblizkova, A., Vrbova, I., Neumann, P., Macas, J. (2017) – TAREAN: a computational tool for identification and characterization of satellite DNA from unassembled short reads. Nucleic Acids Res., doi:10.1093/nar/gkx257

Address of the bookmark: https://bitbucket.org/petrnovak/repex_tarean

Address of the bookmark: http://www.softberry.com/berry.phtml?topic=fgenesh&group=help&subgroup=gfind

For the original version of the pipeline and to reproduce the Hs2-HiC and the AaegL4 genomes reported in (Dudchenko et al., Science, 2017) see the original commit.

For the detailed description of the merge section see https://github.com/theaidenlab/AGWG-merge.

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/theaidenlab/3d-dna

During the first phase of ENCODE, published in 2007, microarray-based technologies were used to detect regions associated with transcription factors, certain histone modifications and open chromatin within a pre-specified 1% of the human genome.

ENCODE’s second phase saw a switch to sequencing-based technologies, the addition of new assay types and the analysis of functional elements genome-wide, described in a collection of research articles in 2012.

The Encyclopedia paper of ENCODE 3, published in Nature, gives an overview of the various assays that were performed in human and mouse cell lines and tissues and describes a Registry of human and mouse candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs).

More at https://www.nature.com/immersive/d42859-020-00027-2/index.html

Metabuli is metagenomic classifier that jointly analyze both DNA and amino acid (AA) sequences. DNA-based classifiers can make specific classifications, exploiting point mutations to distinguish close taxa. AA-based classifiers have higher sensitivity in detecting homology between query and reference sequences, leverageing higher conservation of AA sequences. Metabuli combines the information of both sequence types using a novel k-mer structure, metamer, to enable both specific and sensitive characterization of metagenomic samples. In addition, it can classify reads against a database of any size as long as it fits in the hard disk.

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/steineggerlab/Metabuli

Bdelloid rotifers are small animals well known for their ability to survive in harsh conditions. They can endure extreme dehydration by entering a state of dormancy and then revive when water becomes available again. Scientists have always been interested in the degree to which these animals resist radiation, since radiation can severely damage DNA by causing both of its strands to break. Interestingly, Adineta vaga's ability to survive radiation may be connected to the way in which it tolerates drying out, as dehydration can also damage DNA. The rotifer probably evolved strong DNA protection and repair mechanisms primarily as a response to its severe environment. Its resistance to radiation is merely a byproduct of adapting to the cycles of drying and rehydration.

In order to find out more about this ability, the researchers subjected A. vaga to proton radiation and then examined what effect it had on its chromosomes. The radiation caused serious damage, resulting in hundreds of breaks in the DNA. For the vast majority of organisms, such extensive chromosome damage would be disastrous; it's similar to going through an instruction manual in a shredder and ending up with a large number of separate fragments. The scientists believed that the rotifers would repair their chromosomes before producing offspring. However, what they discovered was unexpected: some of the broken pieces of chromosome did survive and were passed on to the next generations, where the repair process continued.

The discovery took on even greater interest when the scientists examined the offspring of the irradiated rotifers. Rather than observing the same DNA damage in all the generations, they found different sized sections missing and evidence that some of the genetic regions which had been lost were being slowly restored. The researchers proposed that the rotifers use a repair mechanism known as Break-Induced Homologous Extension Repair, or BIHER. In simple terms, a broken piece of DNA can locate a matching sequence on the other chromosome and use it as a guide to rebuild itself. If the damage is beyond what can be repaired in one generation, the repair process can continue in the next.

What makes the rotifer's method of repairing DNA so unusual is that, normally, we consider DNA repair to take place immediately after damage has occurred, with the cell rapidly repairing the damaged DNA. In A. vaga, however, the repair process can be a lot longer. Certain pieces of chromosome survive the initial damage, are inherited, and then serve as the basis for further repairs in later generations. It's as if one generation begins mending a broken book, the next one continues the work, and another eventually completes the job until all the missing parts have been restored.

One reason why this might work is that bdelloid rotifers have holocentric chromosomes. Rather than having a single point, as most chromosomes do, which controls movement during cell division, the ability to move is distributed along the entire length of their chromosomes. As a result, fragments of chromosomes are sometimes able to retain the parts that are necessary for them to move and divide, and this may account for how broken pieces of chromosome can last long enough to be passed on and then repaired.

This finding could have implications that go beyond those concerning rotifers. Scientists are interested in understanding how genomes cope with severe chromosome damage, for example in the case of chromothripsis, where chromosomes break and are then reassembled in new configurations. Investigating A. vaga could help us to learn how cells manage large genetic issues. Moreover, its high resistance to radiation might also prove useful in research into extreme environments, such as the radiation hazards encountered on long space missions. However, these are ideas for future investigation; at present the rotifer's DNA repair mechanism cannot be used to protect people from radiation.

What is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this discovery is that the rotifer's remarkable ability could have developed for a very simple reason. Since an animal living in moss constantly undergoes periods of drying out and then getting wet again, the same mechanisms that protect its DNA when it is dehydrated might also enable it to survive radiation which would damage most other animals. Therefore, the rotifer probably did not evolve solely in order to resist radiation; instead, it became extremely good at coping with the difficult conditions it encounters, and radiation resistance was just a byproduct.

The case of Adineta vaga demonstrates that survival does not always mean avoiding damage; on some occasions it involves being able to recover from damage which appears to be impossible to repair. This small animal can survive having its chromosomes broken into many pieces, retain some of those pieces, pass them on to its offspring, and continue to repair them over successive generations. Although we generally regard DNA as something fragile that must always remain intact, the rotifer indicates an alternative possibility: perhaps a genome does not have to be perfect in order to survive, since sometimes the pieces last long enough for life to reassemble them, bit by bit, generation after generation.

Ream more at https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aee0891

The enzyme portal integrates many resources, most of them hosted by EBI and also external ones such as BioPortal. Its main goal is to provide information about enzymes in a suitable format, with a usable interface designed for intended users. Instead of reinventing the wheel, it makes use of available and reliable resources to that end.

Related Literature:

http://nar.oxfordjournals.org/content/41/D1/D773.full

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/14/103

Address of the bookmark: http://www.ebi.ac.uk/enzymeportal/

Requirements

You are (or soon will be) a master in bio-informatics. You have strong ICT skills and you are eager to fully submerge into the world of protein modeling. You have good experience with Linux and one or more programming languages as well as knowledge of tertiary structure analysis. Candidates with a Master degree in one of the life sciences (Biomedical sciences, Biochemistry, Bio-engineering, Biostatistics, …), with relevant interest and extended experience in this field are also welcome. A general background cancer biology and genetics is needed. You are willing and eligible to apply for a personal PhD fellowship with the Flemish FWO (FWO.be). Therefore, it is required that you hold a master degree from a European university, and have not obtained your master diploma more than three years ago (see FWO website for detailed conditions). Proficiency in English, and good communication skills, both oral and written, are required. You are highly motivated, and you like to work in an interactive research team. You are willing to work on a 4-year PhD project starting beginning of 2020.

What we offer

We offer a one year position, as a PhD student, which can be extended up to 4 year upon positive evaluation, even if a personal fellowship application is not successful. Wages are according to the standard Flemish bursary levels for PhD students.

Interested?
For additional information please contact dr. Geert Vandeweyer. To apply, send a copy of your CV including details of your relevant skills and a motivation letter by e-mail to dr. Geert Vandeweyer (geert.vandeweyer@uantwerpen.be) before March 15, 2020.

Source:https://academicpositions.be/ad/university-of-antwerp/2020/phd-student-bio-informatician-in-computational-protein-modeling/141252?utm_source=jooble&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=jooble