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Phenotyping of animals is a routine task in agriculture which can provide large datasets for the functional annotation of genomes. Using the livestock farming sector to study complex traits enables genetics researchers to fully benefit from the digital transformation of society as economies of scale substantially reduces the cost of phenotyping animals on farms. In the agricultural sector genomics has transitioned towards a model of 'Genomics without the genes' as a large proportion of the genetic variation in animals can be modelled using the infinitesimal model for genomic breeding valuations. Combined with third generation sequencing creating pan-genomes for livestock the digital infrastructure for trait collection and precision farming provides a unique opportunity for high-throughput phenotyping and the study of complex traits in a controlled environment. The emphasis on cost efficient data collection mean that mobile phones and computers have become ubiquitous for cost-efficient large-scale data collection but that the majority of the recorded traits can still be recorded manually with limited training or tools. This is especially valuable in low- and middle income countries and in settings where indigenous breeds are kept at farms preserving more traditional farming methods. Digitalization is therefore an important enabler for high-throughput phenotyping for smaller livestock herds with limited technology investments as well as large-scale commercial operations. It is demanding and challenging for individual researchers to keep up with the opportunities created by the rapid advances in digitalization for livestock farming and how it can be used by researchers with or without a specialization in livestock. This review provides an overview of the current status of key enabling technologies for precision livestock farming applicable for the functional annotation of genomes., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press.)

A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified eight loci that are associated with heart rate variability (HRV), but candidate genes in these loci remain uncharacterized. We developed an image- and CRISPR/Cas9-based pipeline to systematically characterize candidate genes for HRV in live zebrafish embryos. Nine zebrafish orthologues of six human candidate genes were targeted simultaneously in eggs from fish that transgenically express GFP on smooth muscle cells (Tg[acta2:GFP]), to visualize the beating heart. An automated analysis of repeated 30 s recordings of beating atria in 381 live, intact zebrafish embryos at 2 and 5 days post-fertilization highlighted genes that influence HRV (hcn4 and si:dkey-65j6.2 [KIAA1755]); heart rate (rgs6 and hcn4); and the risk of sinoatrial pauses and arrests (hcn4). Exposure to 10 or 25 µM ivabradine-an open channel blocker of HCNs-for 24 h resulted in a dose-dependent higher HRV and lower heart rate at 5 days post-fertilization. Hence, our screen confirmed the role of established genes for heart rate and rhythm (RGS6 and HCN4); showed that ivabradine reduces heart rate and increases HRV in zebrafish embryos, as it does in humans; and highlighted a novel gene that plays a role in HRV (KIAA1755).

Bioinformatics skills have become essential for many research areas; however, the availability of qualified researchers is usually lower than the demand and training to increase the number of able bioinformaticians is an important task for the bioinformatics community. When conducting training or hands-on tutorials, the lack of control over the analysis tools and repositories often results in undesirable situations during training, as unavailable online tools or version conflicts may delay, complicate, or even prevent the successful completion of a training event. The eBioKit is a stand-alone educational platform that hosts numerous tools and databases for bioinformatics research and allows training to take place in a controlled environment. A key advantage of the eBioKit over other existing teaching solutions is that all the required software and databases are locally installed on the system, significantly reducing the dependence on the internet. Furthermore, the architecture of the eBioKit has demonstrated itself to be an excellent balance between portability and performance, not only making the eBioKit an exceptional educational tool but also providing small research groups with a platform to incorporate bioinformatics analysis in their research. As a result, the eBioKit has formed an integral part of training and research performed by a wide variety of universities and organizations such as the Pan African Bioinformatics Network (H3ABioNet) as part of the initiative Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa), the Southern Africa Network for Biosciences (SAnBio) initiative, the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) hub, and the International Glossina Genome Initiative.

Protein-protein interactions are important for the majority of biological processes. A significant number of computational methods have been developed to predict protein-protein interactions using protein sequence, structural and genomic data. Vast experimental data is publicly available on the Internet, but it is scattered across numerous databases. This fact motivated us to create and evaluate new high-throughput datasets of interacting proteins. We extracted interaction data from DIP, MINT, BioGRID and IntAct databases. Then we constructed descriptive features for machine learning purposes based on data from Gene Ontology and DOMINE. Thereafter, four well-established machine learning methods: Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, Decision Tree and Naïve Bayes, were used on these datasets to build an Ensemble Learning method based on majority voting. In cross-validation experiment, sensitivity exceeded 80% and classification/prediction accuracy reached 90% for the Ensemble Learning method. We extended the experiment to a bigger and more realistic dataset maintaining sensitivity over 70%. These results confirmed that our datasets are suitable for performing PPI prediction and Ensemble Learning method is well suited for this task. Both the processed PPI datasets and the software are available at .

The amount of information regarding protein-protein interactions (PPI) at a proteomic scale is constantly increasing. This is paralleled with an increase of databases making information available. Consequently there are diverse ways of delivering information about not only PPIs but also regarding the databases themselves. This creates a time consuming obstacle for many researchers working in the field. Our survey provides a valuable tool for researchers to reduce the time necessary to gain a broad overview of PPI-databases and is supported by a graphical representation of data exchange. The graphical representation is made available in cooperation with the team maintaining www.pathguide.org and can be accessed at http://www.pathguide.org/interactions.php in a new Cytoscape web implementation. The local copy of Cytoscape cys file can be downloaded from http://bio.icm.edu.pl/~darman/ppi web page.

Studying the interactome is one of the exciting frontiers of proteomics, as shown lately at the recent bioinformatics conferences (for example ISMB 2010, or ECCB 2010). Distribution of data is facilitated by a large number of databases. Metamining databases have been created in order to allow researchers access to several databases in one search, but there are serious difficulties for end users to evaluate the metamining effort. Therefore we suggest a new standard, "Good Interaction Data Metamining Practice" (GIDMP), which could be easily automated and requires only very minor inclusion of statistical data on each database homepage. Widespread adoption of the GIDMP standard would provide users with: a standardized way to evaluate the statistics provided by each metamining database, thus enhancing the end-user experience; a stable contact point for each database, allowing the smooth transition of statistics; a fully automated system, enhancing time- and cost-effectiveness. The proposed information can be presented as a few hidden lines of text on the source database www page, and a constantly updated table for a metamining database included in the source/credits web page.