RNAtor: an Android-based application for biologists to plan RNA sequencing experiments

Abstract

RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) is a powerful technology that allows one to assess the RNA levels in a sample. Analysis of these levels can help in identifying novel transcripts (coding, non-coding and splice variants), understanding transcript structures, and estimating gene/allele expression. Biologists face specific challenges while designing RNA-seq experiments. The nature of these challenges lies in determining the total number of sequenced reads and technical replicates required for detecting marginally differentially expressed transcripts. Despite previous attempts to address these challenges, easily-accessible and biologist-friendly mobile applications do not exist. Thus, we developed RNAtor , a mobile application for Android platforms, to aid biologists in correctly designing their RNA-seq experiments. The recommendations from RNAtor are based on simulations and real data.