WebAUGUSTUS--a web service for training AUGUSTUS and predicting genes in eukaryotes

The prediction of protein coding genes is an important step in the annotation of newly sequenced and assembled genomes. AUGUSTUS is one of the most accurate tools for eukaryotic gene prediction. Here, we present WebAUGUSTUS, a web interface for training AUGUSTUS and predicting genes with AUGUSTUS. Depending on the needs of the user, WebAUGUSTUS generates training gene structures automatically. Besides a genome file, either a file with expressed sequence tags or a file with protein sequences is required for this step. Alternatively, it is possible to submit an externally generated training gene structure file and a genome file. The web service optimizes AUGUSTUS parameters and predicts genes with those parameters. WebAUGUSTUS is available at http://bioinf.uni-greifswald.de/webaugustus.