nf-core/clipseq - a robust Nextflow pipeline for comprehensive CLIP data analysis

Abstract

Crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP) technologies have become a central component of the molecular biologists’ toolkit to study protein-RNA interactions and thus to uncover core principles of RNA biology. There has been a proliferation of CLIP-based experimental protocols, as well as computational tools, especially for peak-calling. Consequently, there is an urgent need for a well-documented bioinformatic pipeline that enshrines the principles of robustness, reproducibility, scalability, portability and flexibility while embracing the diversity of experimental and computational CLIP tools. To address this, we present nf-core/clipseq - a robust Nextflow pipeline for quality control and analysis of CLIP sequencing data. It is part of the international nf-core community effort to develop and curate a best-practice, gold-standard set of pipelines for data analysis. The standards enabled by Nextflow and nf-core, including workflow management, version control, continuous integration and containerisation ensure that these key needs are met. Furthermore, multiple tools are implemented (e.g. for peak-calling), alongside visualisation of quality control metrics to empower the user to make their own informed decisions based on their data. nf-core/clipseq remains under active development, with plans to incorporate newly released tools to ensure that pipeline remains up-to-date and relevant for the community. Engagement with users and developers is encouraged through the nf-core GitHub repository and Slack channel to promote collaboration. It is available at https://nf-co.re/clipseq.