GB2sequin - A file converter preparing custom GenBank files for database submission

Area of Science:

• Bioinformatics
• Molecular Biology
• Genomic Data Management

Background:

• Wet lab researchers frequently annotate DNA sequences using the GenBank format.
• NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) does not directly accept GenBank files for database submission.
• This incompatibility creates a cumbersome workflow for researchers needing to submit annotations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present GB2Sequin, a user-friendly web application for converting GenBank annotations.
• To facilitate direct submission of custom annotations to NCBI databases.
• To streamline the process of preparing sequence data for public repositories.

Main Methods:

• Development of a web application named GB2Sequin.
• Implementation of a conversion process from GenBank format to NCBI's Sequin submission format.
• Generation of supplementary files including a five-column tab-delimited feature table and a FASTA file.

Main Results:

• GB2Sequin successfully converts GenBank files into the NCBI Sequin format.
• The application generates required auxiliary files (feature table, FASTA) for database submission.
• The tool offers an intuitive graphical interface and comprehensive documentation for ease of use.

Conclusions:

• GB2Sequin simplifies the submission of sequence annotations for wet lab researchers.
• The application enhances flexibility and user-friendliness in genomic data submission workflows.
• GB2Sequin is freely available online, promoting wider adoption and accessibility for scientific data sharing.