GelJ – a tool for analyzing DNA fingerprint gel images. Issue 1 (December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Heras, Jónathan; Domínguez, César; Mata, Eloy; Pascual, Vico; Lozano, Carmen; Torres, Carmen; Zarazaga, Myriam
• Is Part Of: BMC bioinformatics. Volume 16:Issue 1(2015)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 8
• Publication Date: 2015-12
• Subjects: DNA fingerprinting -- Image analysis -- Clustering -- Java -- Database; Bioinformatics -- Periodicals; Computational biology -- Periodicals; 570.285
• DOI: 10.1186/s12859-015-0703-0
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1471-2105

Abstract

Abstract Background DNA fingerprinting is a technique for comparing DNA patterns that has applications in a wide variety of contexts. Several commercial and freely-available tools can be used to analyze DNA fingerprint gel images; however, commercial tools are expensive and usually difficult to use; and, free tools support the basic functionality for DNA fingerprint analysis, but lack some instrumental features to obtain accurate results. Results In this paper, we presentGelJ, a feather-weight, user-friendly, platform-independent, open-source and free tool for analyzing DNA fingerprint gel images. Some of the outstanding features of GelJ are mechanisms for accurate lane- and band-detection, several options for computing migration models, a number of band- and curve-based similarity methods, different techniques for generating dendrograms, comparison of banding patterns from different experiments, and database support. Conclusions GelJ is an easy to use tool for analyzing DNA fingerprint gel images. It combines the best characteristics of both free and commercial tools: GelJ is light and simple to use (as free programs), but it also includes the necessary features to obtain precise results (as commercial programs). In addition, GelJ incorporates new functionality that is not supported by any other tool.