Figmop: A profile HMM to identify genes and bypass troublesome gene models in draft genomes

Abstract

Motivation: Gene models from draft genome assemblies of metazoan species are often incorrect, missing exons or entire genes, particularly for large gene families. Consequently, labour-intensive manual curation is often necessary. We present Figmop (Finding Genes using Motif Patterns) to help with the manual curation of gene families in draft genome assemblies. The program uses a pattern of short sequence motifs to identify putative genes directly from the genome sequence. Using a large gene family as a test case, Figmop was found to be more sensitive and specific than a BLAST-based approach. The visualization used allows the validation of potential genes to be carried out quickly and easily, saving hours if not days from an analysis.