Database Annotation In Molecular Biology

Two factors dominate current molecular biology: the amount of raw data is increasing very rapidly and successful applications in biomedical research require carefully curated and annotated databases. The quality of the experimental data -- especially nucleic acid sequences -- is satisfactory; however, annotations depend on features inferred from the data rather than measured directly, for instance the identification of genes in genome sequences. It is essential that these inferences are as accurate as possible and this requires human intervention. With the recognition of the importance of accurate database annotation and the requirement for individuals with particular constellations of skills to carry it out, annotators are emerging as specialists within the profession of bioinformatics. This book compiles information about annotation -- its current status, what is required to improve it, what skills must be brought to bear on database curation and hence what is the proper training for annotators. The book should be essential reading for all people working on biological databases, both biologists and computer scientists. It will also be of interest to all users of such databases, including molecular biologists, geneticists, protein chemists, clinicians and drug developers.

An accurate description of current scientific developments in the field of bioinformatics and computational implementation is presented by research of the BioSapiens Network of Excellence. Bioinformatics is essential for annotating the structure and function of genes, proteins and the analysis of complete genomes and to molecular biology and biochemistry. Included is an overview of bioinformatics, the full spectrum of genome annotation approaches including; genome analysis and gene prediction, gene regulation analysis and expression, genome variation and QTL analysis, large scale protein annotation of function and structure, annotation and prediction of protein interactions, and the organization and annotation of molecular networks and biochemical pathways. Also covered is a technical framework to organize and represent genome data using the DAS technology and work in the annotation of two large genomic sets: HIV/HCV viral genomes and splicing alternatives potentially encoded in 1% of the human genome.

This book addresses the difficulties experienced by wet lab researchers with the statistical analysis of molecular biology related data. The authors explain how to use R and Bioconductor for the analysis of experimental data in the field of molecular biology. The content is based upon two university courses for bioinformatics and experimental biology students (Biological Data Analysis with R and High-throughput Data Analysis with R). The material is divided into chapters based upon the experimental methods used in the laboratories. Key features include: • Broad appeal--the authors target their material to researchers in several levels, ensuring that the basics are always covered. • First book to explain how to use R and Bioconductor for the analysis of several types of experimental data in the field of molecular biology. • Focuses on R and Bioconductor, which are widely used for data analysis. One great benefit of R and Bioconductor is that there is a vast user community and very active discussion in place, in addition to the practice of sharing codes. Further, R is the platform for implementing new analysis approaches, therefore novel methods are available early for R users.

Sequence - Evolution - Function is an introduction to the computational approaches that play a critical role in the emerging new branch of biology known as functional genomics. The book provides the reader with an understanding of the principles and approaches of functional genomics and of the potential and limitations of computational and experimental approaches to genome analysis. Sequence - Evolution - Function should help bridge the "digital divide" between biologists and computer scientists, allowing biologists to better grasp the peculiarities of the emerging field of Genome Biology and to learn how to benefit from the enormous amount of sequence data available in the public databases. The book is non-technical with respect to the computer methods for genome analysis and discusses these methods from the user's viewpoint, without addressing mathematical and algorithmic details. Prior practical familiarity with the basic methods for sequence analysis is a major advantage, but a reader without such experience will be able to use the book as an introduction to these methods. This book is perfect for introductory level courses in computational methods for comparative and functional genomics.

This volume introduces software used for gene prediction with focus on eukaryotic genomes. The chapters in this book describe software and web server usage as applied in common use-cases, and explain ways to simplify re-annotation of long available genome assemblies. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary computational requirements, step-by-step, readily reproducible computational protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and thorough, Gene Prediction: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for researchers and research groups working on the assembly and annotation of single species or small groups of species. Chapter 3 is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license via link.springer.com.

The success of individualized medicine, advanced crops, and new and sustainable energy sources requires thoroughly annotated genomic information and the integration of this information into a coherent model. A thorough overview of this field, Genome Annotation explores automated genome analysis and annotation from its origins to the challenges of next-generation sequencing data analysis. The book initially takes you through the last 16 years since the sequencing of the first complete microbial genome. It explains how current analysis strategies were developed, including sequencing strategies, statistical models, and early annotation systems. The authors then present visualization techniques for displaying integrated results as well as state-of-the-art annotation tools, including MAGPIE, Ensembl, Bluejay, and Galaxy. They also discuss the pipelines for the analysis and annotation of complex, next-generation DNA sequencing data. Each chapter includes references and pointers to relevant tools. As very few existing genome annotation pipelines are capable of dealing with the staggering amount of DNA sequence information, new strategies must be developed to accommodate the needs of today’s genome researchers. Covering this topic in detail, Genome Annotation provides you with the foundation and tools to tackle this challenging and evolving area. Suitable for both students new to the field and professionals who deal with genomic information in their work, the book offers two genome annotation systems on an accompanying CD-ROM.

Praise for the third edition of Bioinformatics "This book is a gem to read and use in practice." —Briefings in Bioinformatics "This volume has a distinctive, special value as it offers an unrivalled level of details and unique expert insights from the leading computational biologists, including the very creators of popular bioinformatics tools." —ChemBioChem "A valuable survey of this fascinating field. . . I found it to be the most useful book on bioinformatics that I have seen and recommend it very highly." —American Society for Microbiology News "This should be on the bookshelf of every molecular biologist." —The Quarterly Review of Biolog" The field of bioinformatics is advancing at a remarkable rate. With the development of new analytical techniques that make use of the latest advances in machine learning and data science, today’s biologists are gaining fantastic new insights into the natural world’s most complex systems. These rapidly progressing innovations can, however, be difficult to keep pace with. The expanded fourth edition of the best-selling Bioinformatics aims to remedy this by providing students and professionals alike with a comprehensive survey of the current field. Revised to reflect recent advances in computational biology, it offers practical instruction on the gathering, analysis, and interpretation of data, as well as explanations of the most powerful algorithms presently used for biological discovery. Bioinformatics, Fourth Edition offers the most readable, up-to-date, and thorough introduction to the field for biologists at all levels, covering both key concepts that have stood the test of time and the new and important developments driving this fast-moving discipline forwards. This new edition features: New chapters on metabolomics, population genetics, metagenomics and microbial community analysis, and translational bioinformatics A thorough treatment of statistical methods as applied to biological data Special topic boxes and appendices highlighting experimental strategies and advanced concepts Annotated reference lists, comprehensive lists of relevant web resources, and an extensive glossary of commonly used terms in bioinformatics, genomics, and proteomics Bioinformatics is an indispensable companion for researchers, instructors, and students of all levels in molecular biology and computational biology, as well as investigators involved in genomics, clinical research, proteomics, and related fields.

This book provides a practical and self-contained overview of the Gene Ontology (GO), the leading project to organize biological knowledge on genes and their products across genomic resources. Written for biologists and bioinformaticians, it covers the state-of-the-art of how GO annotations are made, how they are evaluated, and what sort of analyses can and cannot be done with the GO. In the spirit of the Methods in Molecular Biology book series, there is an emphasis throughout the chapters on providing practical guidance and troubleshooting advice. Authoritative and accessible, The Gene Ontology Handbook serves non-experts as well as seasoned GO users as a thorough guide to this powerful knowledge system. This work was published by Saint Philip Street Press pursuant to a Creative Commons license permitting commercial use. All rights not granted by the work's license are retained by the author or authors.

"In this book, Andy Baxevanis and Francis Ouellette . . . haveundertaken the difficult task of organizing the knowledge in thisfield in a logical progression and presenting it in a digestibleform. And they have done an excellent job. This fine text will makea major impact on biological research and, in turn, on progress inbiomedicine. We are all in their debt." —Eric Lander from the Foreword Reviews from the First Edition "...provides a broad overview of the basic tools for sequenceanalysis ... For biologists approaching this subject for the firsttime, it will be a very useful handbook to keep on the shelf afterthe first reading, close to the computer." —Nature Structural Biology "...should be in the personal library of any biologist who usesthe Internet for the analysis of DNA and protein sequencedata." —Science "...a wonderful primer designed to navigate the novice throughthe intricacies of in scripto analysis ... The accomplished genesearcher will also find this book a useful addition to theirlibrary ... an excellent reference to the principles ofbioinformatics." —Trends in Biochemical Sciences This new edition of the highly successful Bioinformatics:A Practical Guide to the Analysis of Genes and Proteinsprovides a sound foundation of basic concepts, with practicaldiscussions and comparisons of both computational tools anddatabases relevant to biological research. Equipping biologists with the modern tools necessary to solvepractical problems in sequence data analysis, the Second Editioncovers the broad spectrum of topics in bioinformatics, ranging fromInternet concepts to predictive algorithms used on sequence,structure, and expression data. With chapters written by experts inthe field, this up-to-date reference thoroughly covers vitalconcepts and is appropriate for both the novice and the experiencedpractitioner. Written in clear, simple language, the book isaccessible to users without an advanced mathematical or computerscience background. This new edition includes: All new end-of-chapter Web resources, bibliographies, andproblem sets Accompanying Web site containing the answers to the problems,as well as links to relevant Web resources New coverage of comparative genomics, large-scale genomeanalysis, sequence assembly, and expressed sequence tags A glossary of commonly used terms in bioinformatics andgenomics Bioinformatics: A Practical Guide to the Analysis of Genesand Proteins, Second Edition is essential reading forresearchers, instructors, and students of all levels in molecularbiology and bioinformatics, as well as for investigators involvedin genomics, positional cloning, clinical research, andcomputational biology.