title: GelJ--a tool for analyzing DNA fingerprint gel images.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  DNA fingerprinting is a technique for comparing DNA patterns that has applications in a wide variety of contexts. Several commercial and freely-available tools can be used to analyze DNA fingerprint gel images; however, commercial tools are expensive and usually difficult to use; and, free tools support the basic functionality for DNA fingerprint analysis, but lack some instrumental features to obtain accurate results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this paper, we present GelJ, a feather-weight, user-friendly, platform-independent, open-source and free tool for analyzing DNA fingerprint gel images. Some of the outstanding features of GelJ are mechanisms for accurate lane- and band-detection, several options for computing migration models, a number of band- and curve-based similarity methods, different techniques for generating dendrograms, comparison of banding patterns from different experiments, and database support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GelJ is an easy to use tool for analyzing DNA fingerprint gel images. It combines the best characteristics of both free and commercial tools: GelJ is light and simple to use (as free programs), but it also includes the necessary features to obtain precise results (as commercial programs). In addition, GelJ incorporates new functionality that is not supported by any other tool.
authors: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of La Rioja, Ed. Vives. C/ Luís de Ulloa 2, Logroño, 26004, Spain. jonathan.heras@unirioja.es.
authors: Jónathan
authors: J
authors: Heras
authors: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of La Rioja, Ed. Vives. C/ Luís de Ulloa 2, Logroño, 26004, Spain. cedomin@unirioja.es.
authors: César
authors: C
authors: Domínguez
authors: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of La Rioja, Ed. Vives. C/ Luís de Ulloa 2, Logroño, 26004, Spain. eloy.mata@unirioja.es.
authors: Eloy
authors: E
authors: Mata
authors: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of La Rioja, Ed. Vives. C/ Luís de Ulloa 2, Logroño, 26004, Spain. vico.pascual@unirioja.es.
authors: Vico
authors: V
authors: Pascual
authors: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Area, University of La Rioja, Ed. Científico Tecnológico-CCT. C/ Madre de Dios, 53, Logroño, 26006, Spain. carmen.lozano@unirioja.es.
authors: Carmen
authors: C
authors: Lozano
authors: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Area, University of La Rioja, Ed. Científico Tecnológico-CCT. C/ Madre de Dios, 53, Logroño, 26006, Spain. carmen.torres@unirioja.es.
authors: Carmen
authors: C
authors: Torres
authors: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Area, University of La Rioja, Ed. Científico Tecnológico-CCT. C/ Madre de Dios, 53, Logroño, 26006, Spain. myriam.zarazaga@unirioja.es.
authors: Myriam
authors: M
authors: Zarazaga
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods*; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D020407:Internet; D012984:Software
chemical_list: D004247:DNA