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Genetics & Biotechnology vocabulary · Bioinformatics

FASTQ

Meaning in genetics & biotechnology, with examples

abbreviationAdvanced term

In genetics & biotechnology, FASTQ means: The standard text file format for raw sequencing data. Each read takes four lines: a name, the base sequence, a separator line and a quality score for every base.

In Turkish: FASTQ, FASTQ dosyası

How it is used

Used whenever sequencing data is shared or processed. Sequencing facilities deliver compressed FASTQ files (.fastq.gz), often two per sample for paired-end reads. Quality scores use the Phred scale: Q30 means a 1 in 1,000 chance that a base is wrong. People say it 'fast-Q'.

Example sentences

  1. The facility sent us two FASTQ files per sample.

  2. Run quality control on the FASTQ files before alignment.

Common collocations

  • FASTQ file
  • raw FASTQ files
  • paired FASTQ files
  • FASTQ quality control
  • Phred quality score
  • readIn sequencing, a single DNA sequence that the machine produces from one fragment. A sequencing run produces millions of reads.
  • pipelineA series of connected software steps that process data automatically, for example from raw sequencing reads to a final list of annotated variants.
  • alignmentArranging DNA, RNA or protein sequences side by side to find where they match, or placing sequencing reads in the right position on a reference genome.
  • next-generation sequencingModern technologies that read millions or billions of DNA fragments in parallel, making it fast and cheap to sequence whole genomes, exomes or many genes at once.

More terms: Bioinformatics

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