Marker Genes and Gene Prediction of Bacteria
What are marker genes, their usage and how to predict them?
When we think of the word marker, the first thing that comes to our minds is something that is used to indicate a place. For example, it can be your current location on Google Maps or it can be the place where you planted some seeds in your garden. Similarly, in genomics studies, we can find marker genes in bacterial genomes. In this article, I will introduce you to marker genes used in metagenomics analysis, how they are used and walk you through an example of a commonly used gene prediction tool.
What are Marker Genes/Genetic Markers?
According to Wikipedia,
A genetic marker is a gene or DNA sequence with a known location on a chromosome that can be used to identify individuals or species.
As a result of mutations and alterations within the genome, these genes can vary depending on their composition and location.
What are Single-Copy Marker Genes?
In bacterial cells, single-copy marker genes are expected to occur once. In other words, each bacterial cell contains only one copy of…
