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.