Genome annotation techniques: new approaches and challenges

As more of the human genome draft sequence is finished, and genomes from other organisms begin to be sequenced, the demand for accurate and reliable genome annotation will increase significantly. To facilitate this industrial-scale genome annotation, automated bioinformatics solutions are increasingly required. As a result, automatic genome annotation systems have become more important in gene discovery within recent years. The design of such large-scale bioinformatics systems is an evolving and dynamic field, based on central cores of bioinformatics software tools and relational databases. Not only must these systems efficiently manage and integrate large volumes of genomic data, but they must also deliver accurate gene predictions and effectively distribute annotation data to the biosciences community.