BTW-Bioinformatics Through Windows: an easy-to-install package to analyze marker gene data

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Bioinformatics
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) generates vast microbial community datasets.
• Analyzing these large datasets requires significant computational resources and often Linux expertise.
• Existing workflows necessitate migrating from Windows to Linux-based systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an automated, user-friendly pipeline for microbial metataxonomic analysis on Windows.
• To facilitate the use of NGS amplicon data for researchers without prior Linux or command-line experience.
• To enhance accessibility of bioinformatics tools for life sciences and medicine.

Main Methods:

• Developed Bioinformatics Through Windows (BTW), a package operating within the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).
• Integrated open-access tools for processing marker gene data (e.g., 16S rRNA).
• Automated the pipeline from raw sequencing reads to diversity analysis, including quality filtering, clustering, and taxonomic assignment.

Main Results:

• BTW provides a complete, easy-to-install pipeline for microbial metataxonomic analysis.
• The package allows direct analysis within WSL, eliminating the need to switch operating systems.
• Facilitates access to Linux command-line tools for Windows users, enhancing bioinformatics accessibility.

Conclusions:

• BTW significantly lowers the barrier to entry for microbial community analysis using NGS data on Windows.
• The tool democratizes access to advanced bioinformatics capabilities for a broader research community.
• Increases the adoption and utility of NGS amplicon data in life sciences and medicine.