Elviz - exploration of metagenome assemblies with an interactive visualization tool

Area of Science:

• Microbial ecology
• Bioinformatics
• Genomics

Background:

• Metagenomics involves sequencing DNA from microbial communities in their natural environments.
• Metagenomic studies generate vast amounts of sequence and metadata, requiring effective visualization for interpretation.
• Existing genomics tools struggle to integrate diverse data types for comprehensive analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Elviz, an interactive web-based tool for visualizing assembled metagenomes and associated metadata.
• To enable scientists to explore complex metagenomic datasets across multiple dimensions and scales.

Main Methods:

• Elviz provides interactive navigation of metagenome assemblies, plotting parameters like GC content, abundance, and contig length.
• Features include real-time plot navigation, search, filters, axis selection, and drill-down capabilities to gene annotations.
• The tool facilitates a rapid feedback loop for pattern identification and hypothesis testing.

Main Results:

• Elviz enables multi-dimensional and multi-scale exploration of assembled metagenomes and their metadata.
• Interactive features allow detailed investigation from community profiles to individual gene annotations.
• The tool supports rapid visual pattern identification and hypothesis generation/testing.

Conclusions:

• Elviz significantly accelerates metagenome analysis compared to static figures.
• The tool can analyze user-submitted data and publicly available datasets from the Joint Genome Institute (JGI).
• Elviz is freely accessible online and compatible with most web browsers.