AnnoLnc: a web server for systematically annotating novel human lncRNAs

Abstract

Although the repertoire of human lncRNAs has rapidly expanded, their biological function and regulation remain largely elusive. Here, we present AnnoLnc (http://annolnc.cbi.pku.edu.cn), an online portal for systematically annotating newly identified human lncRNAs. AnnoLnc offers a full spectrum of annotations covering genomic location, RNA secondary structure, expression, transcriptional regulation, miRNA interaction, protein interaction, genetic association and evolution, as well as an abstraction-based text summary and various intuitive figures to help biologists quickly grasp the essentials. In addition to an intuitive and mobile-friendly Web interactive design, AnnoLnc supports batch analysis and provides JSON-based Web Service APIs for programmatic analysis. To the best of our knowledge, AnnoLnc is the first web server to provide on-the-fly and systematic annotation for newly identified human lncRNAs. Some case studies have shown the power of AnnoLnc to inspire novel hypotheses.