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A comparison of tools for the simulation of genomic next-generation sequencing data

A Correction to this article was published on 03 October 2018

Key Points

  • A large number of tools are available for the simulation of genomic data for all current next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms, with partially overlapped functionality. Here we review 23 of these tools, highlighting their distinct functionalities, requirements and potential applications.

  • The parameterization of these simulators is often complex. The user may decide between using existing sets of parametric values called profiles or re-estimating them from their own data.

  • Parameters that can be modulated in these simulations include the effects of the PCR amplification of the libraries, read features and quality scores, base-calling errors, variation of sequencing depth across the genomes and the introduction of genomic variants.

  • Several types of genomic variants can be introduced in the simulated reads, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms, insertions and deletions, inversions, translocations, copy-number variants and short-tandem repeats.

  • Reads can be generated from single or multiple genomes, and with distinct ploidy levels. NGS data from metagenomic communities can be simulated when given an 'abundance profile' that reflects the proportion of taxa in a given sample.

  • Many of the simulators have not been formally described and/or tested in dedicated publications. We encourage the formal publication of these tools and the realization of comprehensive, comparative benchmarking processes.

  • Choosing among the different genomic NGS simulators is not easy. Here, we provide a decision tree to help users choose a suitable tool for their specific interests.

Abstract

Computer simulation of genomic data has become increasingly popular for assessing and validating biological models or for gaining an understanding of specific data sets. Several computational tools for the simulation of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data have been developed in recent years, which could be used to compare existing and new NGS analytical pipelines. Here we review 23 of these tools, highlighting their distinct functionality, requirements and potential applications. We also provide a decision tree for the informed selection of an appropriate NGS simulation tool for the specific question at hand.

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Figure 1: Decision tree for the selection of a suitable NGS genomic simulator.
Figure 2: General overview of the sequencing process and steps that can be parameterized in the simulations.
Figure 3: General overview of NGS simulation.
Figure 4: Flows available to generate reads with and without genomic variation.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC-617457- PHYLOCANCER to D.P.) and the Spanish Government (research grants BFU2012-33038 and BFU2015-63774-P to D.P.; Research Personnel Training (FPI) graduate fellowship BES-2013-067181 to M.E.; and a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral fellowship (FPDI-2013-17503 to S.R.). The authors thank two anonymous reviewers and members of the phylogenomics laboratory for their comments.

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Correspondence to David Posada.

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PowerPoint slides

Glossary

Coverage bias

A bias in the amount of reads for a particular region. For example, sequencing depth increases in regions of elevated GC content.

Single end

Reads generated by single-read sequencing, which involves sequencing DNA fragments from only one end.

Paired end

In paired-end sequencing, a single fragment is sequenced from both the 5′ and 3′ ends, giving rise to reads in both forward and reverse orientations, in which read one is the forward read and read two is the reverse. The sequenced fragments may be separated by a certain number of bases (depending on insert size and read length) or overlapping.

Mate pair

Mate-pair sequencing means generating long-insert paired-end DNA libraries. The inserts are circularized and fragmented, and the labelled fragments (corresponding to the ends of the original DNA ligated together) are purified, ligated to another set of adapters and finally sequenced at the paired end. The resulting inserts include two DNA segments that were originally separated by 2–5 kb, facilitating mapping and assembly.

Reference sequence

A particular genomic region, multiple genomic regions concatenated, a chromosome or a complete genome from which next-generation sequencing reads will be generated.

Profile

A set of biological (GC content, insertions and deletions, and substitution rates) and/or technological (insert sizes, read lengths, error rates and quality scores) parameter distributions or values that will be used in a specific simulation.

Abundance profile

A set of probabilities that represent the proportion of taxa within a community (and data set).

Quality scores

(Also known as Phred Q scores). Predictions of the probability of an error in a base call.

Amplicon

A piece of DNA or RNA resulting from a natural or artificial amplification event (for example, PCR).

K-mers

The possible sub-sequences of length k that can be obtained from a given sequence.

Coverage

The number of times a certain nucleotide has been sequenced.

Base calling

The analysis of the information obtained from the machine sensors during next-generation sequencing and posterior prediction of the individual bases. This converts the signal into actual sequence data with quality scores.

Homopolymers

Sequences of multiple identical nucleotides.

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Escalona, M., Rocha, S. & Posada, D. A comparison of tools for the simulation of genomic next-generation sequencing data. Nat Rev Genet 17, 459–469 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg.2016.57

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