RNA-Rocket: An RNA-Seq Analysis Resource for Infectious Disease Research

Motivation: RNA-Seqis a method for profiling transcription using high-throughput sequencing and is an important component of many research projects that wish to study transcript isoforms, condition specific expression, and transcriptional structure. The methods, tools, and technologies employed to perform RNA-Seqanalysis continue to change, creating a bioinformaticschallenge for re-searchers who wish to exploit these data. Resources that bring to-gether genomic data, analysis tools, educational material, and com-putational infrastructure can minimize the overhead required of life science researchers. Results: RNA-Rocket is a free service that provides access to RNA-Seqand ChIP-Seq analysis tools for studying infectious diseases. The site makes available thousands of pre-indexed genomes, their annotations, and the ability to stream results to the bioinformaticsresources VectorBase, EuPathDB, and PATRIC. The site also pro-vides a combination of experimental data and metadata, examples of pre-computed analysis, step-by-step guides, and a user interface designedto enable both novice and experienced users of RNA-Seqdata. Availability: RNA-Rocket can be found at rnaseq.pathogenportal.org Source code for this project can be found at github.com/cidvbi/PathogenPortal