MuffinInfo: HTML5-Based Statistics Extractor from Next-Generation Sequencing Data

Abstract

Usually, the information known a priori about a newly sequenced organism is limited. Even resequencing the same organism can generate unpredictable output. We introduce MuffinInfo, a FastQ/Fasta/SAM information extractor implemented in HTML5 capable of offering insights into next-generation sequencing (NGS) data. Our new tool can run on any software or hardware environment, in command line or graphically, and in browser or standalone. It presents information such as average length, base distribution, quality scores distribution, k-mer histogram, and homopolymers analysis. MuffinInfo improves upon the existing extractors by adding the ability to save and then reload the results obtained after a run as a navigable file (also supporting saving pictures of the charts), by supporting custom statistics implemented by the user, and by offering user-adjustable parameters involved in the processing, all in one software. At the moment, the extractor works with all base space technologies such as Illumina, Roche, Ion Torrent, Pacific Biosciences, and Oxford Nanopore. Owing to HTML5, our software demonstrates the readiness of web technologies for mild intensive tasks encountered in bioinformatics.