Unconfigured Ad

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • qwsqe
    Junior Member
    • Jun 2010
    • 4

    CIGAR field of SAM file from Bowtie alignment

    In a SAM file generated from Bowtie, I found one entry has '*' in the CIGAR field. What does this mean, bad alignment?

    Thanks
  • arvid
    Senior Member
    • Jul 2011
    • 156

    #2
    It means "not available" in the SAM spec. Typically, this happens when the read isn't aligned (RNAME - 3rd field - is also '*' and 0x4 is set in the FLAG field).

    Comment

    • qwsqe
      Junior Member
      • Jun 2010
      • 4

      #3
      Thanks, arvid.
      To what extend, Bowtie sets the FLAG to 0x4 for a read, and make the CIGAR field "not abailable". What are the measure and threshold bowtie uses for setting this?

      Thanks

      Comment

      • arvid
        Senior Member
        • Jul 2011
        • 156

        #4
        Well, using the settings (default or your specific choices), Bowtie found no reportable alignment for that read.
        It is not possible to make a general statement about this behaviour here as it depends entirely on the settings you provided bowtie with and the nature of your reads and reference. Check the bowtie manual, typically you should look at alignment and reporting modes - these and their sub-options control alignment sensitivity and reporting filters.

        Comment

        • qwsqe
          Junior Member
          • Jun 2010
          • 4

          #5
          Hi Arvid,

          Thank you very much for the help.

          Comment

          Latest Articles

          Collapse

          • SEQadmin2
            Advanced Sequencing Platforms Tackle Neuroscience’s Toughest Genomics Problems
            by SEQadmin2



            Genomics studies in neuroscience face a special challenge due to the brain’s complexity and scarcity of samples. Mapping changes in cell type and state using conventional next-generation sequencing methods remains challenging. Advances in technologies like single-cell sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and long-read sequencing have opened the door to deeper studies of the brain and diseases like Alzheimer’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and schizophrenia.
            ...
            Yesterday, 11:10 AM
          • SEQadmin2
            Cancer Drug Resistance: The Lingering Barrier to Rising Survival
            by SEQadmin2



            Cancer survival rates have significantly increased in the last few decades in the United States, reaching a combined 70% 5-year survival rate by 2021. Behind this number, there are years of research to find new therapies, drug targets, and early detection methods. But there is one core challenge that keeps slowing down these advances, and it’s about drug resistance.

            There is no single reason why many patients don’t respond to treatment as expected. Cancer is...
            07-08-2026, 05:17 AM
          • GATTACAT
            Reply to Nine Things a Sample Prep Scientist Thinks About Before Sequencing
            by GATTACAT
            Love this - good data definitely starts from good input, and poor input can only give relatively poor data. I particularly like the mention of Nanodrop/absorbance based methods for quantification. It's such a toss up if you'll get an accurate reading or what amounts to a randomly generated number, and a lot of library/sequencing related issues can be traced back to poor quant.
            07-01-2026, 11:43 AM

          ad_right_rmr

          Collapse

          News

          Collapse

          Topics Statistics Last Post
          Started by SEQadmin2, Yesterday, 10:04 AM
          0 responses
          10 views
          0 reactions
          Last Post SEQadmin2  
          Started by SEQadmin2, 07-08-2026, 10:08 AM
          0 responses
          7 views
          0 reactions
          Last Post SEQadmin2  
          Started by SEQadmin2, 07-07-2026, 11:05 AM
          0 responses
          15 views
          0 reactions
          Last Post SEQadmin2  
          Started by SEQadmin2, 07-02-2026, 11:08 AM
          0 responses
          31 views
          0 reactions
          Last Post SEQadmin2  
          Working...