This book is a practical guide for biologists who use multiple sequence alignments (MSAs) for their data analysis and are looking for a comprehensive overview of the many different programs. Despite their important role in data analysis, there is uncertainty among researchers about exactly how MSA programs work - not to mention how and why the different analyzes lead to different results. Which program is the right one for evaluating my data and how can I ensure that I have drawn all relevant findings from the alignments? This book offers helpful explanations and background information without requiring extensive bioinformatics knowledge and slowly introduces the reader to the topic.In the first part of the book, the possible fields of application as well as the formats that are usually produced by MSA programs are described in detail. The central algorithms as well as the internal processes of the most common MSA programs of the past and the present are also explained in an uncomplicated manner in greater detail. The second part of the book is a detailed, data-based comparison between MSA programs, which is intended to help you decide which program to use for your next alignment.

From basic performing of sequence alignment through a proficiency at understanding how most industry-standard alignment algorithms achieve their results, Multiple Sequence Alignment Methods describes numerous algorithms and their nuances in chapters written by the experts who developed these algorithms. The various multiple sequence alignment algorithms presented in this handbook give a flavor of the broad range of choices available for multiple sequence alignment generation, and their diversity is a clear reflection of the complexity of the multiple sequence alignment problem and the amount of information that can be obtained from multiple sequence alignments. Each of these chapters not only describes the algorithm it covers but also presents instructions and tips on using their implementation, as is fitting with its inclusion in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series. Authoritative and practical, Multiple Sequence Alignment Methods provides a readily available resource which will allow practitioners to experiment with different algorithms and find the particular algorithm that is of most use in their application.

Chapter “Alignment of Biological Sequences with Jalview” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Probabilistic models are becoming increasingly important in analysing the huge amount of data being produced by large-scale DNA-sequencing efforts such as the Human Genome Project. For example, hidden Markov models are used for analysing biological sequences, linguistic-grammar-based probabilistic models for identifying RNA secondary structure, and probabilistic evolutionary models for inferring phylogenies of sequences from different organisms. This book gives a unified, up-to-date and self-contained account, with a Bayesian slant, of such methods, and more generally to probabilistic methods of sequence analysis. Written by an interdisciplinary team of authors, it aims to be accessible to molecular biologists, computer scientists, and mathematicians with no formal knowledge of the other fields, and at the same time present the state-of-the-art in this new and highly important field.

Essential Bioinformatics is a concise yet comprehensive textbook of bioinformatics, which provides a broad introduction to the entire field. Written specifically for a life science audience, the basics of bioinformatics are explained, followed by discussions of the state-of-the-art computational tools available to solve biological research problems. All key areas of bioinformatics are covered including biological databases, sequence alignment, genes and promoter prediction, molecular phylogenetics, structural bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics. The book emphasizes how computational methods work and compares the strengths and weaknesses of different methods. This balanced yet easily accessible text will be invaluable to students who do not have sophisticated computational backgrounds. Technical details of computational algorithms are explained with a minimum use of mathematical formulae; graphical illustrations are used in their place to aid understanding. The effective synthesis of existing literature as well as in-depth and up-to-date coverage of all key topics in bioinformatics make this an ideal textbook for all bioinformatics courses taken by life science students and for researchers wishing to develop their knowledge of bioinformatics to facilitate their own research.

Covers the fundamentals and techniques of multiple biological sequence alignment and analysis, and shows readers how to choose the appropriate sequence analysis tools for their tasks This book describes the traditional and modern approaches in biological sequence alignment and homology search. This book contains 11 chapters, with Chapter 1 providing basic information on biological sequences. Next, Chapter 2 contains fundamentals in pair-wise sequence alignment, while Chapters 3 and 4 examine popular existing quantitative models and practical clustering techniques that have been used in multiple sequence alignment. Chapter 5 describes, characterizes and relates many multiple sequence alignment models. Chapter 6 describes how traditionally phylogenetic trees have been constructed, and available sequence knowledge bases can be used to improve the accuracy of reconstructing phylogeny trees. Chapter 7 covers the latest methods developed to improve the run-time efficiency of multiple sequence alignment. Next, Chapter 8 covers several popular existing multiple sequence alignment server and services, and Chapter 9 examines several multiple sequence alignment techniques that have been developed to handle short sequences (reads) produced by the Next Generation Sequencing technique (NSG). Chapter 10 describes a Bioinformatics application using multiple sequence alignment of short reads or whole genomes as input. Lastly, Chapter 11 provides a review of RNA and protein secondary structure prediction using the evolution information inferred from multiple sequence alignments. • Covers the full spectrum of the field, from alignment algorithms to scoring methods, practical techniques, and alignment tools and their evaluations • Describes theories and developments of scoring functions and scoring matrices •Examines phylogeny estimation and large-scale homology search Multiple Biological Sequence Alignment: Scoring Functions, Algorithms and Applications is a reference for researchers, engineers, graduate and post-graduate students in bioinformatics, and system biology and molecular biologists. Ken Nguyen, PhD, is an associate professor at Clayton State University, GA, USA. He received his PhD, MSc and BSc degrees in computer science all from Georgia State University. His research interests are in databases, parallel and distribute computing and bioinformatics. He was a Molecular Basis of Disease fellow at Georgia State and is the recipient of the highest graduate honor at Georgia State, the William M. Suttles Graduate Fellowship. Xuan Guo, PhD, is a postdoctoral associate at Oak Ridge National Lab, USA. He received his PhD degree in computer science from Georgia State University in 2015. His research interests are in bioinformatics, machine leaning, and cloud computing. He is an editorial assistant of International Journal of Bioinformatics Research and Applications. Yi Pan, PhD, is a Regents' Professor of Computer Science and an Interim Associate Dean and Chair of Biology at Georgia State University. He received his BE and ME in computer engineering from Tsinghua University in China and his PhD in computer science from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Pan's research interests include parallel and distributed computing, optical networks, wireless networks and bioinformatics. He has published more than 180 journal papers with about 60 papers published in various IEEE/ACM journals. He is co-editor along with Albert Y. Zomaya of the Wiley Series in Bioinformatics.

Bioinformatics for Everyone provides a brief overview on currently used technologies in the field of bioinformatics—interpreted as the application of information science to biology— including various online and offline bioinformatics tools and softwares. The book presents valuable knowledge in a simplified way to help students and researchers easily apply bioinformatics tools and approaches to their research and lab routines. Several protocols and case studies that can be reproduced by readers to suit their needs are also included. - Explains the most relevant bioinformatics tools available in a didactic manner so that readers can easily apply them to their research - Includes several protocols that can be used in different types of research work or in lab routines - Discusses upcoming technologies and their impact on biological/biomedical sciences

Handbook of Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics provides a comprehensive reference volume for mathematicians, computer scientists, engineers, as well as students and reference librarians. The material is presented so that key information can be located and used quickly and easily. Each chapter includes a glossary. Individual topics are covered in sections and subsections within chapters, each of which is organized into clearly identifiable parts: definitions, facts, and examples. Examples are provided to illustrate some of the key definitions, facts, and algorithms. Some curious and entertaining facts and puzzles are also included. Readers will also find an extensive collection of biographies. This second edition is a major revision. It includes extensive additions and updates. Since the first edition appeared in 1999, many new discoveries have been made and new areas have grown in importance, which are covered in this edition.

Were you always curious about biology but were afraid to sit through long hours of dense reading? Did you like the subject when you were in high school but had other plans after you graduated? Now you can explore the human genome and analyze DNA without ever leaving your desktop! Bioinformatics For Dummies is packed with valuable information that introduces you to this exciting new discipline. This easy-to-follow guide leads you step by step through every bioinformatics task that can be done over the Internet. Forget long equations, computer-geek gibberish, and installing bulky programs that slow down your computer. You’ll be amazed at all the things you can accomplish just by logging on and following these trusty directions. You get the tools you need to: Analyze all types of sequences Use all types of databases Work with DNA and protein sequences Conduct similarity searches Build a multiple sequence alignment Edit and publish alignments Visualize protein 3-D structures Construct phylogenetic trees This up-to-date second edition includes newly created and popular databases and Internet programs as well as multiple new genomes. It provides tips for using servers and places to seek resources to find out about what’s going on in the bioinformatics world. Bioinformatics For Dummies will show you how to get the most out of your PC and the right Web tools so you'll be searching databases and analyzing sequences like a pro!