unitas

unitas annotates small RNA sequencing data from next-generation sequencing (NGS) by assigning reads to small non-coding RNA classes using reference ncRNA sequences from databases such as Ensembl (supporting >800 species).

Key Features:

• Broad Species Support: Uses non-coding RNA reference sequences from Ensembl to support annotation across more than 800 species.
• Reference Mapping to ncRNA Databases: Maps reads to publicly available ncRNA databases to assign small RNA classes.
• High-Quality Annotation Algorithms: Implements annotation algorithms reported to be on par with or superior to existing small RNA annotation tools.
• Integrated Analysis Functions: Integrates multiple analysis features for small RNA annotation and downstream analyses.
• Read Normalization Handling: Addresses read normalization challenges to support consistent interpretation of small RNA counts.

Scientific Applications:

• Small RNA discovery and annotation: Identifying and annotating small non-coding RNAs from NGS datasets.
• Functional classification: Assigning reads to small RNA classes for downstream functional analyses.
• Cross-species small RNA studies: Enabling comparative analyses using Ensembl reference sequences across hundreds of species.

Methodology:

Maps sequencing reads to publicly available ncRNA reference databases (including Ensembl), applies annotation algorithms for small RNA class assignment, and performs read normalization.