A minimum reporting standard for multiple sequence alignments
Thomas K. F. Wong, Subha Kalyaanamoorthy, Karen Meusemann, David Yeates, Bernhard Misof, Lars S. Jermiin
Abstract
Multiple sequence alignments (MSAs) play a pivotal role in studies of molecular sequence data, but nobody has developed a minimum reporting standard (MRS) to quantify the completeness of MSAs in terms of completely specified nucleotides or amino acids. We present an MRS that relies on four simple completeness metrics. The metrics are implemented in AliStat, a program developed to support the MRS. A survey of published MSAs illustrates the benefits and unprecedented transparency offered by the MRS.
Topics & Concepts
Completeness (order theory)Sequence (biology)Transparency (behavior)nobodyComputer scienceSimple (philosophy)Data miningMathematicsBiologyComputer securityGeneticsMathematical analysisPhilosophyEpistemologyGenomics and Phylogenetic StudiesRNA and protein synthesis mechanismsMicrobial Community Ecology and Physiology