Modern Bioinformatics Solutions Used for Genetic Data Analysis

Abstract

Effective counteraction to biological threats, both natural and man-made, requires the availability of means and methods for rapid and reliable microorganism identification and a comprehensive study of their basic biological properties. Over the past decade, the arsenal of domestic microbiologists has been supplemented by numerous methods for analyzing the genomes of pathogens, primarily based on nucleic acid sequencing. The purpose of this work is to provide the reader with information about capabilities of modern technical and methodological arsenal used for in-depth molecular genetic study of microorganisms, including bioinformatics solutions used for the genetic data analysis. The source base for this research is English-language scientific literature available via the Internet, bioinformation software documentation. The research method is an analysis of scientific sources from the general to the specific. We considered the features of sequencing platforms, the main stages of genetic information analysis, current bioinformation utilities, their interaction and organization into a single workflow. Results and discussion. The performance of modern genetic analyzers allows for complete decoding of the bacterial genome within one day, including the time required to prepare the sample for research. The key factor that largely determines the effectiveness of the genetic analysis methods used is the competent use of the necessary bioinformatics software utilities. Standard stages of primary genetic data analysis are assessment of the quality control, data preprocessing, mapping to a reference genome or de novo genome assembly, genome annotation, typing and identification of significant genetic determinants (resistance to antibacterial drugs, pathogenicity factors, etc.), phylogenetic analysis. For each stage bioinformation utilities have been developed, differing in implemented analysis algorithms. Conclusion. Open source utilities that do not require access to remote resources for their operation are of greatest interest due to activities specifics of NBC protection corps units.