BOL: Related items

Salzberg lab

Mon, 15 May 2017 05:14:01 -0500

We are a computational biology lab that develops novel methods for analysis of DNA and RNA sequences. Our research includes software for aligning and assembling RNA-seq data, whole-genome assembly, and microbiome analysis. We work closely with biomedical scientists to apply these methods to current problems arising in a broad spectrum of biological and medical research areas. We’re also part of the Center for Computational Biology, a group of 20+ faculty members and their labs at Johns Hopkins working on computational, statistical, and mathematical methods that can turn massive genomic data sets into biologically and clinically useful information.

https://salzberg-lab.org/

iRNAD: a computational tool for identifying D modification sites in RNA sequence

Abhimanyu Singh — Thu, 16 May 2019 00:20:07 -0500

iRNAD, for identifying D modification sites in RNA sequence. In this predictor, the RNA samples derived from five species were encoded by nucleotide chemical property and nucleotide density. Support vector machine was utilized to perform the classification.

http://lin-group.cn/server/iRNAD/

Address of the bookmark: http://lin-group.cn/server/iRNAD/

IVA: accurate de novo assembly of RNA virus genomes

Neel — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 07:51:59 -0500

IVA (Iterative Virus Assembler) designed specifically for read pairs sequenced at highly variable depth from RNA virus samples. We tested IVA on datasets from 140 sequenced samples from human immunodeficiency virus-1 or influenza-virus-infected people and demonstrated that IVA outperforms all other virus de novo assemblers.

Availability and implementation: The software runs under Linux, has the GPLv3 licence and is freely available from http://sanger-pathogens.github.io/iva

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25725497/

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/sanger-pathogens/iva

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.

swgis v2.0 : a seqword genomic island sniffer

Abhimanyu Singh — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 12:35:52 -0500

swgis v2.0 is the modified version of the seqword genomic island sniffer. this version is specifically optimized for predicting genomic islands in eukaryotic genomes. swgis v2.0 was tested on several eukaryotic species of different lineages. all identified genomic islands were deposited in the eugi database.

download swgis v2.0

Address of the bookmark: http://eugi.bi.up.ac.za/eugi_download_swgis.php

AlignGraph: algorithm for secondary de novo genome assembly guided by closely related references

Manisha Mishra — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 16:21:20 -0500

AlignGraph is a software that extends and joins contigs or scaffolds by reassembling them with help provided by a reference genome of a closely related organism.

Using AlignGraph

AlignGraph --read1 reads_1.fa --read2 reads_2.fa --contig contigs.fa --genome genome.fa --distanceLow distanceLow --distanceHigh distancehigh --extendedContig extendedContigs.fa --remainingContig remainingContigs.fa [--kMer k --insertVariation insertVariation --coverage coverage --part p --fastMap --ratioCheck --iterativeMap --misassemblyRemoval --resume]

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/baoe/AlignGraph

The wavefront alignment (WFA) algorithm

BioStar — Sun, 28 Jun 2020 10:17:50 -0500

The wavefront alignment (WFA) algorithm is an exact gap-affine algorithm that takes advantage of
homologous regions between the sequences to accelerate the alignment process. As opposed to traditional dynamic programming algorithms that run in quadratic time, the WFA runs in time O(ns), proportional to the read length n and the alignment score s, using O(s^2) memory. Moreover, the WFA exhibits simple data dependencies that can be easily vectorized, even by the automatic features of modern compilers, for different architectures, without the need to adapt the code.

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/smarco/WFA

GRASS: a generic algorithm for scaffolding next-generation sequencing assemblies.

Abhimanyu Singh — Tue, 23 May 2017 05:20:32 -0500

GRASS (GeneRic ASsembly Scaffolder)-a novel algorithm for scaffolding second-generation sequencing assemblies capable of using diverse information sources. GRASS offers a mixed-integer programming formulation of the contig scaffolding problem, which combines contig order, distance and orientation in a single optimization objective. The resulting optimization problem is solved using an expectation-maximization procedure and an unconstrained binary quadratic programming approximation of the original problem. We compared GRASS with existing HTS scaffolders using Illumina paired reads of three bacterial genomes. Our algorithm constructs a comparable number of scaffolds, but makes fewer errors. This result is further improved when additional data, in the form of related genome sequences, are used.

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/AlexeyG/GRASS

AGORA: Algorithm for Gene Order Reconstruction in Ancestors

Jit — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 23:26:21 -0600

AGORA stands for “Algorithm for Gene Order Reconstruction in Ancestors” and was developed by Matthieu Muffato in the DYOGEN Laboratory at the École normale supérieure in Paris in 2008.

    // | |     //   ) )  //   ) ) //   ) )  // | |
   //__| |    //        //   / / //___/ /  //__| |
  / ___  |   //  ____  //   / / / ___ (   / ___  |
 //    | |  //    / / //   / / //   | |  //    | |
//     | | ((____/ / ((___/ / //    | | //     | |

AGORA is used to generate ancestral genomes for the Genomicus online server for gene order comparison, and has been in constant use in the group since.

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/DyogenIBENS/Agora

Research article- Publiaction

LALIT SAMANT — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 18:50:17 -0600

Dear All,

I am Lalit, Working as SRF In Haffkine Institute. I would like to publish research article related to protein modeling and docking which in cludes MD as final step.

I am currently working on protein modeling and docking area.

Those who are interested . Kindly contact me on this email id:samantlalit@gmail.com