The GBOL5 Web App - A DNA barcode management and analysis system

Wiechers S, Müller KF

Zusammenfassung

DNA barcoding allows to identify species using predefined target genes. It proves especially useful when samples are degraded, fragmented or consist of hard to identify parts, e. g. larval stages of insects or seeds and roots of plants. Multiple national and international groups and consortia work on creating a reference database of these marker gene sequences. The German Barcode of Life (GBoL) project started its first funding period in 2012, aiming to create such a database of all common and frequent species in Germany. The responsibility of the GBoL5 sub-project is barcoding the approximately 4,800 land plant species native to Germany. Coordinating the efforts of the participating institutes from different parts of Germany creates the need for a shared information management system. The web application presented here provides users with tools such as automatic primer read pre-processing, automated read assembly to contigs, various query possibilities and more. These tools and the uploaded data, e. g. target species and marker sequences, are available at all times from various devices through an online interface. To increase its usefulness, new features are constantly developed and deployed. A future focus is on implementing analysis methods directly into the database-backed app to allow for statistical testing of biological hypothesis. Another important aspect is the integration of next generation sequencing data into the existing structure of the app.