The completion of the human genome sequencing in the early 2000s was a turning point in genomics research.[1] Scientists have conducted series of research into the activities of genes and the genome as a whole. The human genome contains around 3 billion base pairs nucleotide, and the huge quantity of data created necessitates the development of an accessible tool to explore and interpret this information in order to investigate the genetic basis of disease, evolution, and biological processes.[2] The field of genomics has continued to grow, with new sequencing technologies and computational tool making it easier to study the genome.
The genome browser is an important tool for studying the genome. In bioinformatics, a genome browser is a graphical interface for displaying information from a biological database for genomic data.[2] It is a software tool that displays genetic data in graphical form. Genome browsers enable users to visualize and browse entire genomes with annotated data, including gene prediction, gene structure, protein, expression, regulation, variation, and comparative analysis. Annotated data is usually from multiple diverse sources. They differ from ordinary biological databases in that they display data in a graphical format, with genome coordinates on one axis with annotations or space-filling graphics to show analyses of the genes, such as the frequency of the genes and their expression profiles.[1] The software allows users to navigate the genome, view numerous features, analyze and investigate the relationships between various genomic elements.
- ^ a b Wang Ziling; Zhang Lishu (2 July 2018). Essential Computing Skills for Biologists. World Scientific Publishing Company. pp. 20–29. ISBN 978-1-84816-926-5.
- ^ a b Jun Wang; Lei Kong; Ge Gao; Jingchu Luo (March 2013). "A brief introduction to web-based genome browsers". Briefings in Bioinformatics. 14 (2): 131–143. doi:10.1093/bib/bbs029. PMID 22764121.