Scientists face a big challenge with the human genome. They can read its letters, but understanding their roles is much harder. Only about 2 percent of the genome codes for proteins. The rest acts like a huge control panel, deciding when and where genes turn on. With about 9 billion possible single-letter changes, testing them all in a lab just isn’t possible.

So, Google DeepMind asked a new question: what if we could predict what those changes might do?

This question led to the AlphaGenome Atlas (https://deepmind.google.com/science/alphagenome/atlas?), a detailed map of nearly every possible single-letter change in the human genome. Instead of checking each change one by one, researchers can use the Atlas to spot the ones most likely to matter. The AlphaGenome Variant Impact (AVI) score works like a trail marker, pointing scientists toward the changes worth a closer look.

This is where the Atlas gets especially useful. Much of the genome lies outside the protein-coding regions, where DNA acts as a switch or controller for genes. AlphaGenome lets researchers explore these areas and see how small changes could affect gene activity.

An atlas isn't the destination; it's a guide.

The AlphaGenome Atlas doesn’t replace experiments or solve every mystery. Instead, it helps scientists decide where to begin. From billions of possibilities, it turns the vast genetic landscape into something researchers can start to explore.

There are nine billion possibilities, a vast map, and maybe among them therWith nine billion possibilities and a huge map to explore, there may be clues hidden here to some of medicine’s toughest mysteries.

More at https://storage.googleapis.com/deepmind-media/DeepMind.com/Blog/alphagenome-atlas-a-predictive-map-of-every-possible-dna-letter-change-in-the-human-genome/alphagenome-atlas.pdf

Main research topics:
- Comparative and Population Genomics of Plant Symbionts
- Parasite Genome Evolution
- Experimental Evolution of Microbial Symbionts and Parasites
- Phylogenomics of Early Branching Fungi

More at http://corradilab.weebly.com/

PO Box: 21

DHARAMSHALA, DISTRICT KANGRA, HIMACHAL PRADESH – 176215

EMPLOYMENT NOTICE NO.: 02 / 2015

APPOINTMENT TO VARIOUS TEACHING, NON-TEACHING AND OTHER ACADEMIC STAFF POSITIONS

Applications in the prescribed form are invited from the eligible candidates for the following Teaching, Non-Teaching and other Academic Staff positions to be filled up on regular basis: Details of teaching positions:

15. School of Life Sciences

Computational Biology & Bioinformatics

1 (ST - 1) 2 (UR - 2)

Last Date of receipt of applications: 22ND JUNE, 2015

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Introductory Articles/ppt/sources:

http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pcbi.1002375

http://bioinformatics.mdanderson.org/MicroarrayCourse/Lectures09/Pathway%20Analysis.pdf

http://gettinggeneticsdone.blogspot.de/2012/03/pathway-analysis-for-high-throughput.html

http://davetang.org/muse/tag/pathway/

https://www.biostars.org/p/42219/

http://bioinformatics.ca//files/public/Pathways_2014_Module4_v2.pdf

http://bioinformatics.ca//files/public/Pathways_2014_Module2.pdf

Impotant Database and Tools:

GeneMANIA, Cytoscape, IPA and Metacore (Commerical ), Pathway Commons, Reactome ,Panther, BioCyc, WikiPathways, Pathvisio, KEGG, NCI, Stringdb, Amigo, WebGestalt ,ConsensusPathDB ,GSEA,Blast2go

Popular R based tools:

Reactome.db, ReactomePA, ClusterProfiler, Gage, SPIA, topGO, Pathview,DOSE,GOStat

More:

http://www.bioconductor.org/help/search/index.html?q=Enrichment+analysis+

Minimum qualifications: M.Sc. with minimum 55% for general and OBD Category (55% for SC/St/PH) in the above-mentioned subject areas (viz. Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Microbiology, Botany, Plant Sciences, Chemistry, Zoology, Animal Sciences, Fishery Sciences and any other relevant branches).

Preference will be given to those holding valid CSIR-UGC NET JRF. DBT-JRF, ICAR-JRF, ICMR-JRF and DST-INSPIRE Fellowship while NET/SLET/SET qualified and GATE qualified candidates (90 or above percentile) are also encouraged to apply. Reservations of seats: 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST, 27% for OBC (noncreamy layer) and 3% for Physically Handicapped as per statutory norms.

Selection Procedure: If the number of JRF and INSPIRE qualified candidates is more, selection will be based on interview of the JRF and INSPIRE qualified candidates only. The selected candidates may be registered for Ph.D. in any of the recognized Universities in India.

Application Procedure: Application should be sent in the prescribed application form (available on the IBSD website). The candidate should send the completed and signed form along with self attested copies of all supporting certificates and marksheets along with an application fee of Rs.300/- (For GEN/OBC/PH) & Rs.150/- for (SC/ST), for which a Demand Draft in favour of ‘Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, payable at Imphal, Manipur, should be attached with the application form. Candidates are advised to provide their email ID and mobile number as they would be contacted electronically by the Institute. Duly filled applications (with ‘Application for IBSD PhD Programme’ super scribed on the envelope) should be sent to ‘The Director, Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Takyelpat, Imphal-795001, Manipur so as to reach on or before 6th of July, 2015. Applications send by email with scan copy of required enclosures will also be accepted and can be sent to director.ibsd@nic.in. However, in such instances, the application will be processed only after the receipt of the mailed hard copies.

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Application Form : http://ibsd.gov.in/jobs/phd_2015/APPLICATION_FORM.pdf

http://cancerwebpa.jefferson.edu/iSeqQC/

https://bmcbioinformatics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12859-020-3399-8

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/gkumar09/iSeqQC

Bioinformatics Textbook Track

Find more about Rosalind puzzle at http://rosalind.info/problems/list-view/?location=bioinformatics-textbook-track

I will provide solution of all the Rosalind problem with Perl for community.

Check out the right sidebar for more links ...

version 1.0.0 - updates several descriptions and tests. To achieve v0.9.4, one can visit https://github.com/zhyqin/SEASTAR-0.9.4 for download.

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/Xinglab/SEASTAR

The duly completed application on prescribed format along with copies of supporting documents must reach to: Office of the Dean (Research & Consultancy), Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad-211004 on or before 03/07/2015.

The position is purely temporary and will be governed by the funding agency rules & service conditions of Office of the Dean (Research & Consultancy), MNNIT Allahabad.

For detail advertisement see: www.mnnit.ac.in/images/newstories/Advertisement_for_the_post_of_Research_Assistant_in_UPCST_Project_of_Biotechnology_Department.pdf

Why Normalize RNA-Seq Data?

Normalization is a crucial step in RNA-Seq analysis for the following reasons:

• Sequencing depth: Different RNA-Seq experiments produce varying numbers of reads, making direct comparisons between samples misleading.

• Gene length: Longer genes inherently generate more reads, irrespective of their actual expression level.

• Bias reduction: Normalization mitigates technical biases, enabling meaningful biological interpretation.

TPM (Transcripts Per Million)

TPM measures the proportion of reads mapped to a transcript, normalized by transcript length and sequencing depth. It is calculated as:

Key Features:

1. Proportionality: TPM values sum to 1,000,000 across all transcripts in a sample, making it easier to compare between samples.

2. Intuitive interpretation: TPM values directly represent the abundance of transcripts in a sample.

3. Preferred for comparisons: TPM facilitates between-sample comparisons better than FPKM.

FPKM (Fragments Per Kilobase Million)

FPKM normalizes read counts by transcript length and sequencing depth, but without enforcing proportionality like TPM. It is defined as:

Key Features:

1. Historical significance: FPKM was one of the first normalization methods used for RNA-Seq.

2. Single-end vs. paired-end: In paired-end sequencing, FPKM becomes RPKM (Reads Per Kilobase Million).

3. Limited utility: FPKM values are not as robust as TPM for cross-sample comparisons due to lack of proportionality.

CPM (Counts Per Million)

CPM normalizes raw read counts by sequencing depth, without considering gene length. It is expressed as:

Key Features:

1. Simplicity: CPM is straightforward and computationally less intensive.

2. Application: Suitable for non-length-dependent analyses, such as comparing total expression levels or differential expression analysis.

3. Gene length agnostic: CPM does not correct for gene length, making it less ideal for measuring expression levels.

When to Use Each Method

• TPM: Best for comparing expression levels between samples, especially when transcript length and sequencing depth vary.

• FPKM: Useful for historical consistency but generally replaced by TPM.

• CPM: Ideal for differential expression analysis when gene length normalization is unnecessary.

Conclusion

Choosing the right normalization method depends on the specific objectives of your RNA-Seq analysis. TPM’s proportionality and robustness make it the preferred choice for most applications, while CPM serves well for differential expression studies. Although FPKM paved the way for RNA-Seq normalization, it has largely been supplanted by TPM in modern workflows. Understanding these methods and their nuances ensures accurate and meaningful interpretations of RNA-Seq data.

References:

1. Li, B., & Dewey, C. N. (2011). RSEM: accurate transcript quantification from RNA-Seq data with or without a reference genome. BMC Bioinformatics.

2. Trapnell, C., et al. (2010). Transcript assembly and quantification by RNA-Seq reveals unannotated transcripts and isoform switching during cell differentiation. Nature Biotechnology.

3. Law, C. W., et al. (2014). voom: precision weights unlock linear model analysis tools for RNA-seq read counts. Genome Biology.