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Basic bioinformatics concepts to learn for beginners

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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Basic Concepts in Biology & Bioinformatics for Beginners

This article is for beginners who are stepping into the field of bioinformatics. We will discuss some basic concepts that you need to learn while trying to enter the field of bioinformatics.

If you belong to any field other than biology, it could be difficult to understand the basics of biology. Not to mention, you cannot learn all biological concepts at once by reading different books.

Some basic biology concepts

It will be difficult to understand all biological concepts at once. So if you are not from a biology background, it will be easy to learn the most important concepts one by one. Or read the concerning topics related to your study. Some of the biology basic concepts include:

  • Genetics
  • Enzymes (their role and functions)
  • lock and key theory
  • how does your immune system work?
  • Central dogma
  • Evolution, etc.

Below are some basic concepts of bioinformatics that you need to learn before start making your career in the same field.

1. Biological sequence databases

Biological databases include NCBI, PDB, Uniprot, Ensembl, DDBJ, etc.. These databases are important as they contain the sequence and structure of protein or nucleotide sequences whether sequenced or hypothesized. Other databases include Drugbank, ZINC, ATLAS, etc. These databases contain different kinds of drugs including natural inhibitors, metabolites, FDA-approved drugs, and so on. They are quite useful in drug designing (we will discuss it a bit later).

2. Structure modeling

Structure modeling is amongst the basic steps involved in studying a particular protein or in the drug designing process. It could be done for a protein, DNA, or RNA. There are several webservers and software available for structure modeling.

3. Molecular docking/ Computational docking

This is one of the important techniques of bioinformatics that is utilized in the drug designing process. It helps in analyzing the interactions between a target protein and a ligand in order to select potential drugs. Different kinds of software are available to perform docking based on different algorithms.

4. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation

MD simulation is another important technique in bioinformatics. It could be difficult to understand especially when you are from a different field such as computer science. But it is important to learn. It helps to understand the behavior of a protein, or a complex, or a molecule under simulated environmental conditions. You can check the stability of a docked complex by using this technique. Undoubtedly, you will be using software for MD simulation.

5. Command-line proficiency

It is very important to be comfortable working in a Linux environment. You will have to run a lot of software that is only command-line-based. If you think you are going to manage it using Windows, then you are wrong. You will have to work on Linux sometime. It is better you become an expert in command-line access. If you are from the field of computer science, then it is not going to be a problem.

6. Programming languages

Now, it is a must in the field of bioinformatics to learn some programming languages such as Python, R, Perl, PHP, MySQL, etc. If you can learn JAVA then it is a win! These languages are helpful in developing new software or bioinformatics tools that are in demand these days. Those belonging to the computer science field will find it quite easy.

7. Phylogenetics/ Evolutionary studies

Phylogenetics is important to understand the phylogeny of an organism or a species or a genus. You will have to learn different tools to perform phylogenetics. Evolutionary studies help to understand the evolution of a gene, protein, species, genus, or organism. You may have to use a set of tools to finally trace the evolutionary history.

8. Sequence analysis

Similarity/homology search, multiple sequence alignment, phylogenetics, and so on, all are useful methods for sequence analysis. Sequence analysis is helpful in identifying unknown sequence functions, their structure, and other important properties. You will have to learn different techniques that you can subject your sequence to for its analysis.

9. Sequencing methods and data analysis

DNA/RNA sequencing methods are another important topic in bioinformatics. That includes a next-generation sequence (NGS) and its data analysis, RNAseq-data analysis, and so on. You will find many labs working on NGS data. If you become an expert in this, then you will have many opportunities in research.

10. Database development and management

Biological databases are considered as one of the important resources of information in bioinformatics. You should learn how the databases are developed and managed on servers. Besides, learn to create websites/webpages, back-end, and front-end processing.


You can learn as many concepts as you want. An easy way to do that would be learning according to your project or research work. Try to understand the biology involved in your study one by one and then apply bioinformatics methods to reach a conclusion. Select appropriate tools for your work. You can find similar software that are used for the same purpose but their algorithms may differ. Therefore, it would be better if you do a literature survey before selecting the software for your study.


Further reading

List of Bioinformatics Books for Beginners

Careers in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Current Research Topics in Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics- Where & How to Start?

A Beginner’s Guide on How to Write Good Manuscripts

Dr. Muniba is a Bioinformatician based in New Delhi, India. She has completed her PhD in Bioinformatics from South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China. She has cutting edge knowledge of bioinformatics tools, algorithms, and drug designing. When she is not reading she is found enjoying with the family. Know more about Muniba

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Tips & Tricks

Common mistakes made during computational docking.

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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Common mistakes made during docking.

Computational docking is not a trivial task once we avoid making some mistakes. In this section, let’s learn about some important points that we should keep in mind while performing computational docking.

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Tips & Tricks

How to download FASTA sequences from PDB for multiple structures?

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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How to download FASTA sequences from PDB for multiple structures?

In this article, we are going to download FASTA sequences for multiple structures from PDB [1]. We need to have PDB IDs only for input. (more…)

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Software

How to install the LigAlign plugin on Pymol on Ubuntu (Linux)?

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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How to install the LigAlign plugin on Pymol on Ubuntu (Linux)?

Few errors appear when we try to run the LigAlign plugin [1] in Pymol [2]. For example, if you try to run the ligand_alignment plugin, it will give you multiple errors including “Unable to initialize LigAlign v1.00“, or “can’t run LigAlign v1.00” or “incorrect Python syntax” or “Plugin has been installed but initialization failed“. In this article, we explain the reason for this issue and how you can rectify these errors. (more…)

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Tips & Tricks

How to make an impactful science presentation?

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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How to make an impactful science presentation?

After your hard work, it is time to showcase your study and the methods of your study to an audience. You must make every point useful and informative. Here, in this article, we are going to share some tips to make your scientific presentation impactful. (more…)

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Tips & Tricks

A Beginner’s Guide on How to Write Good Manuscripts

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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A beginner's guide on how to write good manuscripts

Drafting a manuscript could be a difficult task for beginners in the field of research. In this article, we will provide a few tips for how can you write a good manuscript being a research scholar. (more…)

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Tips & Tricks

How to remove HETATMS and chains from PDB file?

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Removing HETATM and chains from pdb files

This is a basic tutorial on removing the hetero-atoms (HETATMS) and chains from PDB files. It is an essential step for computational and molecular dynamics simulation. (more…)

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Tips & Tricks

Importance of Reasoning in Research

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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Importance of reasoning in research

Research is considered complicated. As it involves reading multiple research articles and reviews, devising hypotheses and appropriate experiments, and last but not the least, getting a significant output. This seems difficult to read multiple research papers and then extract useful information regarding your project. It involves a methodology to read and understand research articles in one go. This is explained in our previous article “A guide on how to read the research articles”. This article explains the importance of thinking during your entire research. (more…)

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Docking

How to Find Binding Pocket/ Binding Site for Docking?

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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Finding binding pocket in target protein

Finding binding sites/pockets in a target protein is one of the important steps in docking studies. It is relatively easier to find a binding pocket in the proteins whose resolved structures are available in PDB than that of the predicted structures. In this article, we will discuss the ways to know a binding pocket or a binding site in a target protein. (more…)

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Tips & Tricks

Careers in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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careers in bioinformatics

Bioinformatics is an interesting field of research combining biological sciences and computer sciences. In this article, we will discuss making careers in bioinformatics for starters. (more…)

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Tips & Tricks

Current Research Topics in Bioinformatics

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hot topics in bioinformatics

Researchers working in the scientific area always want to explore new and hot topics to make informed choices. In this article, all new, current, and demanding research topics in bioinformatics are mentioned. This article is helpful for the researchers who are looking for trends in bioinformatics to select a research topic of broad-spectrum. (more…)

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MD Simulation

MD Simulation using GROMACS: Things to remember

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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MD Simulation

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is considered amongst the important methods in bioinformatics. Installation of MD simulation software and execution of their commands is critical. It requires several parameters to be considered before performing simulations. A single mistake may result in impractical outputs. In this article, we will discuss such important things to remember during the MD simulation and installation and execution of its software (GROMACS) [1,2]. (more…)

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Bioinformatics Books

List of Bioinformatics Books for Beginners

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List of Bioinformatics books for beginners

It is difficult to decide which book to read to start learning bioinformatics. Beginners can read this article to know the basic steps involved in learning bioinformatics. A few books are suggested in this article to read for starters in bioinformatics. (more…)

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Tips & Tricks

Bioinformatics- Where & How to Start?

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How to start with Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics being an interdisciplinary area of biological science and computer science may sound complicated to beginners in this field. However, it is quite simple. The only thing you need is knowledge in both areas. Here is a way for the beginners to start with bioinformatics. (more…)

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Docking

Common mistakes made during Autodock Vina Installation and Execution

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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mistakes & errors during autodock vina installation and execution

Several errors occur while installing MGLTools and Autodock Vina on Ubuntu. We have explained the complete process of Autodock Vina installation and docking in previous articles. Here are some common errors and mistakes that should be taken care of while installing and running Vina on Ubuntu. (more…)

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Tips & Tricks

What does a bioinformatician do?

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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What bioinformaticians do

Bioinformaticians play an important part in data analysis and result interpretation in the field of bioinformatics. However, it is unclear to many what specific role bioinformaticians play day to day. We are often asked by many about what exactly a bioinformatician does. But first, who is a bioinformatician?

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Software

MGL Tools & Autodock Vina installation: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

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I have received several e-mails from researchers and students alike regarding installing MGL Tools and Autodock Vina on Ubuntu. Most questions are similar in nature, so I thought of answering them once and for all. In this article, I have collected some frequently asked questions and provided the link to their answers in our question-answer section of Bioinformatics Review. (more…)

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Tips & Tricks

A guide on how to read the research articles

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Reading a research article could be a problem for students starting their careers in research. Research papers are sometimes difficult to understand especially when you are new to this field. In this article, we will discuss how to read and understand a research article. (more…)

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Tips & Tricks

Bioinformatics and programming languages- what do you need to know!

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There are various things which come to mind when someone is going to enter in the field of Bioinformatics and the topmost concern is “Do I need to learn computer languages to pursue my career in Bioinformatics?”. The answer is a bit tricky but it could be both “yes” and “no”. This article will describe the conditions where you need to learn programming languages in Bioinformatics. (more…)

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Docking

Site-specific docking: Frequently Asked Questions & answers for starters

Dr. Muniba Faiza

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I have been getting several E-mails from researchers and students alike regarding in-silico docking. Most questions are similar in nature, so I thought of answering them once and for all. In this article, I have collected some frequently asked questions and provided the link to their answers present in our question-answer section of Bioinformatics Review.

It is good to have questions in mind and they can be solved in a way as quoted by Sir Einstein:

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

In this article, I have collected some of the most Frequently Asked Questions while performing site-specific and/ or blind docking. You have to consider a lot of factors before performing an actual docking on a protein with a specific ligand.

Question: How do you predict protein’s binding sites? 

Question:  What is the difference between the blind docking and binding site based docking?

  
 
 
Second thing, if I have to find the distance between a ligand and any residue in the receptor molecule. Do I have to take the central atom distances or minimum distance between any two atoms of the ligand and receptor molecule can be considered ?? 
 
   
If these are not the questions you are looking for, then feel free to ask in our ‘Bioinformatics Discussion‘ section or write to [email protected].
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Tips & Tricks

Survival guide: How to overcome lab politics and not become a lab rat

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If you find yourself in a laboratory full of people with scientific temperament, it can be exciting, awesome and hilarious. You may experience a real life “big bang theory” episode and witness all characters around you.

However, for the uninitiated, a  large number of labs are a flourishing ground of rivalry and war grounds reiterating the fact on its inhabitant that they live in a maze.

Lab politics can be nasty, and those who don’t want to get involved are almost certainly the easiest target.

Here are a few tips based on my experience in labs on how to survive lab politics and prevent yourself from getting into situations uncalled for.

  1. Communicate Backbiting and misinformation is the nuclear weapon of every mole. They pass on false information about you leading to complexities. It ranges from simple misinformation about you being absent or drunk during work hours when you are not, to some complicated statements attributed to you. You can deal with this situation through regular communication. with your peers. Every one of them. Especially if you sense that your guide is growing weary of you. communicate as clearly as possible and if you sense misinformation, make it a priority to point it out without targeting the person acting as a mole. This will be such a blow…..oops!
  2. Be Humble
    Back in my graduation days, I was made a leader for a group project, I worked harder than everybody suddenly realizes that it was only me that was working for the whole duration. So I became proud which reflected in my behavior. Seeing this, two girls approached the guide with some story, which I am still unaware of. The guide, who happens to be a lady,  immediately removed me from the project & my name from the manuscript after it completed. The results were published without my name, the first author being that girl who was not even fully aware of the topic. Moral? even if you are doing everything, be humble or you risk being a lab rat.
  3. Divert to productivity
    When somebody else is the target, it is relatively easy for you to just ignore what is happening but remaining silent in such situations will lead to an exponential increase in it and you never know when the dial points at you. You may try shifting focus to an interesting observation, experiment, or paper. This way, you show them that what these guys are talking about is not worth the time.
  4. Don’t be evil If someone is doing something a certain way and you know they are wrong, just point it to them. Don’t go to your guide to complain. If you complain too much it is perceived as a negative trait. If you have problems try to resolve them on your own rather than asking someone to do them for you. If you can’t do it yourself, try to get help rather than ordering. Nobody owes you anything so be humble.
  5. Don’t over-promise

You may become a target without even saying a word! yes! it happens. The world is full of hatred for achievers. So if you have a lot in your kitty, don’t keep flaunting it. don’t promise that you will do this and that. Just keep doing things one by one. So they won’t even notice that you were running your own race and they were not even the participants.

6. Don’t get discouraged
If you are surrounded by ‘lab politicians’ and they criticize your work and working habits, then don’t get discouraged, because they would be trying to distract you from your work. In fact, it is a good sign, great success comes with criticism. Don’t believe what they say because ‘politicians’ never want anyone else’s account to be filled, just say thanks to them with a smile and keep going in your direction.

These are the tips that I  have learned by working at labs in the University of Delhi, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research – Kolkata, Jamia Millia Islamia & Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Although I have tried to accommodate as much as I could, do you think I have missed something? would like to add something to the story? go ahead and comment below.

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