ParPEST: a pipeline for EST data analysis based on parallel computing

Background: Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) are short and error-prone DNA sequences generated from the 5' and 3' ends of randomly selected cDNA clones. They provide an important resource for comparative and functional genomic studies and, moreover, represent a reliable information for the annotation of genomic sequences. Because of the advances in biotechnologies, ESTs are daily determined in the form of large datasets. Therefore, suitable and efficient bioinformatic approaches are necessary to organize data related information content for further investigations. Results: We implemented ParPEST (Parallel Processing of ESTs), a pipeline based on parallel computing for EST analysis. The results are organized in a suitable data warehouse to provide a starting point to mine expressed sequence datasets. The collected information is useful for investigations on data quality and on data information content, enriched also by a preliminary functional annotation. Conclusion: The pipeli...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2005
• Where: BMCBI
• Authors: Nunzio D'Agostino, Mario Aversano, Maria Luisa Chiusano
• Keywords: BMCBI 2005, ESTs, Functional Genomic Studies, Information Content