NGS Tool Kit

An interactive RNA-Seq analysis platform for exploring gene expression and biological insights


What does this app do?

Overview

NGS Tool Kit is an end-to-end RNA-Seq analysis dashboard that allows users to perform differential gene expression analysis, visualize high-dimensional data, and explore gene-level patterns interactively.

  • Differential Expression Analysis (DESeq2)
  • Dimensionality Reduction (PCA, t-SNE, UMAP)
  • Gene-level exploration and visualization
  • Clustering and correlation analysis
  • Interactive plots and downloadable results
  • Interactive genome exploration using JBrowse

Required Inputs

  • Count Matrix: Genes as rows, samples as columns
  • Metadata: Contains sample and condition information
  • Optional: Upload custom datasets for visualization modules

Step-by-Step Workflow

  1. Upload count matrix and metadata
  2. Perform Data Quality Control (QC)
  3. Run Differential Expression (DE) analysis
  4. Visualize results using MA and Volcano plots
  5. Explore top genes and gene expression
  6. Apply PCA, t-SNE, or UMAP for clustering
  7. Analyze patterns using heatmaps and correlation

Overall Workflow

The analysis pipeline follows a structured flow from raw data to biological interpretation:

Data Upload
QC
DE Analysis
Visualization
Gene Exploration
Genome Browser
Clustering
QC: Ensures data quality before analysis
DE Analysis: Identifies significant genes
Visualization: PCA, UMAP, Volcano plots
Exploration: Top genes and expression patterns
Genome Browser: Explore genomic regions, genes and annotations interactively using JBrowse.
Clustering: Groups similar samples

Project Team & Contacts

ICAR – Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode, Kerala, India

Development & Research Team

SC
Dr. Sona Charles
Scientist (Agricultural Bioinformatics)
FN
Febin T Nabeel
Project Trainee
SA
Shahana Arif
Project Associate-1
TS
Dr. T. E. Sheeja
HOD, Crop Improvement & Biotech | Principal Scientist

About Quality Control

What does this module do?

Performs quality control checks on RNA-Seq count data, including distribution analysis, library size comparison, PCA visualization, and outlier detection.

Required Inputs

  • Count matrix (genes × samples)
  • First column: gene names
  • Remaining columns: numeric counts

How to use

  1. Upload count matrix CSV
  2. Check distribution (boxplot)
  3. Compare library sizes
  4. Inspect PCA clustering
  5. Identify outlier samples

Sample Dataset

Sample Output


Quality Control


Download Results

About Differential Expression

What does this module do?

Runs DESeq2 on count data with flexible metadata handling.

Required Inputs

  • Count matrix (CSV )
  • Metadata (any column names)

How to use

  1. Upload counts + metadata
  2. Select sample & condition columns
  3. Click Run

Sample Dataset

Sample Output


DESeq2 Analysis

Download Results

About MA Plot

What does this module do?

Displays log fold change vs mean expression to assess differential expression patterns.

Required Inputs

  • DE results with log2FoldChange and padj
  • Optional: baseMean column
  • Optional uploaded CSV

How to use

  1. Run DE Analysis or upload DE results
  2. Set thresholds (padj and log2FC)
  3. Click 'Generate MA Plot'
  4. Interpret up/down regulated genes

Sample Dataset

Sample Output


MA Plot

Download Plot

About PCA Analysis

What does this module do?

Performs Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to visualize variation between samples.

Required Inputs

  • Normalized expression data (VST)
  • Optional uploaded expression matrix

How to use

  1. Upload dataset OR run DE Analysis
  2. Enable metadata coloring (optional)
  3. Click 'Run PCA'
  4. Interpret clustering patterns

Sample Dataset

Sample Output


PCA Analysis

Loading...
Download PCA Data

About Heatmap

What does this module do?

Visualizes gene expression patterns across samples.

Required Inputs

  • Normalized expression data (VST)
  • Optional uploaded CSV

How to use

  1. Upload dataset OR run DE Analysis
  2. Select number of top variable genes
  3. Enable scaling
  4. Click 'Generate Heatmap'

Sample Dataset

Sample Output


Heatmap

Download Heatmap Data

About Correlation Analysis

What does this module do?

Calculates similarity between samples using correlation metrics.

Required Inputs

  • Expression Matrix (CSV) or normalized expression matrix generated from DE Analysis
  • Optional uploaded dataset

How to use

  1. Upload dataset OR run DE Analysis
  2. Select correlation method
  3. Click 'Generate Correlation'
  4. Interpret similarity between samples

Sample Dataset

Sample Output


Correlation Analysis

Pearson: Best for linear relationships in normally distributed data.
Spearmans: Best for ranked or non-normal data and is less affected by outliers.
Kendall: Best for small datasets or data with many tied values.
Loading...

Download Results

About Volcano Plot

What does this module do?

Displays differential expression results by plotting fold change against statistical significance.

Required Inputs

  • DESeq2 results (log2FoldChange & padj)
  • Optional uploaded dataset

How to use

  1. Run DE Analysis
  2. Adjust thresholds
  3. Click 'Generate Plot'
  4. Interpret significant genes

Sample Dataset

Sample Output


Volcano Plot

Download Plot Download Data

About t-SNE

What does this module do?

t-SNE visualizes similarity between samples using dimensionality reduction.

Required Inputs

  • Normalized data (VST) OR expression matrix
  • Genes × Samples format

Steps

  1. Upload dataset OR run DE
  2. Set perplexity
  3. Click Run t-SNE

Sample Dataset

Sample Output


t-SNE Analysis

Note: t-SNE is designed to find local structure in large datasets. It often performs poorly or produces arbitrary clumps on very small datasets (e.g. < 30 samples).
Download Plot

About UMAP

What does this module do?

UMAP reduces high-dimensional data to visualize sample similarity.

How to use

  1. Upload expression matrix OR use uploaded dataset
  2. Ensure first column = gene names
  3. Click 'Run UMAP'
  4. Wait for result (few seconds)

Sample Dataset


                  

UMAP Analysis

Note: UMAP is designed for large datasets. It may perform poorly or produce arbitrary clumps on very small datasets (e.g. < 30 samples).
Download UMAP Plot

About Gene Expression Viewer

What does this module do?

Visualizes expression levels of one or more genes across samples. Useful for comparing expression patterns between conditions.

Required Inputs

  • Normalized expression data (VST) from DESeq2 OR
  • User-uploaded expression matrix (genes × samples)
  • Optional metadata with 'condition' column for coloring

How to use

  1. Upload your expression matrix (optional)
  2. OR run DE Analysis to use normalized data
  3. Search and select one or more genes
  4. Enable 'Color by condition' if metadata is available
  5. Click 'Plot Expression'
  6. Download the plot if needed

Input Format Example

Gene,Sample1,Sample2,Sample3
GeneA,120,130,300
GeneB,50,60,20

Output

  • Boxplot of gene expression across samples
  • Multiple genes shown side-by-side
  • Optional coloring by condition
  • Downloadable plot

Sample Dataset

Sample Output


Gene Expression Viewer

Download Plot

About Top Genes

What does this module do?

Displays the most significant differentially expressed genes based on fold change and adjusted p-value.

Required Inputs

  • DESeq2 results OR uploaded CSV file
  • Columns required: log2FoldChange and padj

How to use

  1. Run DE Analysis OR upload file
  2. Set thresholds
  3. Click 'Show Top Genes'

Sample Dataset

Sample Output


Top Differentially Expressed Genes

Results

Download Results

About Clustering

What does this module do?

Groups samples based on expression similarity using hierarchical clustering or k-means.

Required Inputs

  • Normalized expression matrix (VST) or uploaded CSV
  • Genes × Samples format

How to use

  1. Upload data or run DE Analysis
  2. Choose clustering method
  3. Set number of clusters (for k-means)
  4. Click 'Run Clustering'

Sample Dataset

Sample Output


Clustering

Loading...
Download Plot

Genome Browser

Overview

The Genome Browser module enables interactive exploration of genomes and annotations using JBrowse.


Supported Input

  • Reference Genome : FASTA (.fa, .fasta, .fna)
  • Annotation : GFF3 (.gff, .gff3)

Workflow

  1. Upload a FASTA file.
  2. Upload a GFF3 annotation.
  3. Click 'Load Genome'.
  4. Wait while genome files are prepared.
  5. Browse your genome interactively.

Upload Genome



                

JBrowse