title: PyNAST: a flexible tool for aligning sequences to a template alignment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Nearest Alignment Space Termination (NAST) tool is commonly used in sequence-based microbial ecology community analysis, but due to the limited portability of the original implementation, it has not been as widely adopted as possible. Python Nearest Alignment Space Termination (PyNAST) is a complete reimplementation of NAST, which includes three convenient interfaces: a Mac OS X GUI, a command-line interface and a simple application programming interface (API).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The availability of PyNAST will make the popular NAST algorithm more portable and thereby applicable to datasets orders of magnitude larger by allowing users to install PyNAST on their own hardware. Additionally because users can align to arbitrary template alignments, a feature not available via the original NAST web interface, the NAST algorithm will be readily applicable to novel tasks outside of microbial community analysis.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  PyNAST is available at http://pynast.sourceforge.net.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
authors.forename: J Gregory
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Caporaso
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bittinger
authors.forename: Frederic D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Bushman
authors.forename: Todd Z
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: DeSantis
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Knight
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D016415:Sequence Alignment / Q000379:methods*; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA / Q000379:methods; D012984:Software; D014584:User-Computer Interface