What is XPlasMap?
XPlasMap is a user-friendly, open-source software application designed specifically for visualizing and analyzing plasmid sequences. It offers an intuitive graphical interface that allows researchers to easily generate high-quality, publication-ready plasmid maps.
Key features of XPlasMap include:
- Interactive plasmid map viewer with automatic annotation of common features like ORFs, rRNA operons, etc.
- Tools for manually annotating genes, promoters, terminators, and other custom features
- Sequence analysis tools like GC skew, GC content, repeat finder, and restriction site mapping
- Comparison tools to analyze similarities and differences between multiple plasmids
- Export plasmid maps as vector images, PDF or XPlasMap's own XML-based file format for sharing and collaboration
- Open-source codebase allowing customization and integration into analysis pipelines
XPlasMap streamlines the process of visualizing, understanding, and sharing plasmid sequence data. Its user-friendly graphical interface makes plasmid informatics accessible to molecular biologists without extensive bioinformatics expertise. The capacity to handle large plasmids, integrate custom annotations, and compare plasmids also make XPlasMap valuable for researchers studying complex, non-traditional plasmid elements.