Ab Initio Gene Prediction

Ab Initio Gene Prediction

A method in which genomic DNA is systematically searched for potential coding genes, based on signal detection—which indicates the presence of coding regions in the vicinity—and prediction, based on the sequence information only. It identifies only coding exons of protein-coding genes (transcription start sites, 5’ and 3’ UTRs are ignored); ab initio gene prediction can detect new genes with no similarity to known sequences or domains.