Fast Track to Gene Annotation and Genome Analysis

As a member of the NSF-funded CyVerse (iPlant Collaborative), the DNALC has developed DNA Subway, a bioinformatics workspace that makes high-level genome analysis broadly available to students and educators.

Built to complement other CyVerse discovery environments, DNA Subway captures the essence of CyVerse's goal: to develop computer (cyber) infrastructure that provides plant researchers and educators access to the large-scale datasets and high-powered informatics tools that drive modern biology.

"Riding" different lines in the DNA Subway, users can predict and annotate genes in up to 100,000 base pairs of DNA (Red Line); prospect entire plant genomes for specific genes (Yellow Line); input DNA sequences to build phylogenetic trees, analyze DNA barcodes, and prepare DNA sequences for database submission (Blue Line); input RNA-Seq data to measure differences in transcriptomes (Green Line); and input NGS metabarcoding data and metadata to measure and compare species (Purple Line).

Supported by the National Science Foundation, DNA Subway was completely overhauled in 2025, with the legacy platform officially retiring on June 30, 2025. The launch of DNA Subway 2.0 introduces a more robust and accessible resource designed to prepare students for the modern bioscience workforce. Uniquely, it utilizes a mobile-first design, making it the only high-level bioinformatics toolkit capable of running smoothly on smartphones. Through the addition of Nanopore sequencing and data science integrations, the platform empowers community college students to perform DNA sequence analysis anywhere, positioning them at the forefront of the big data revolution.