TopHat (bioinformatics)

TopHat is a bioinformatics software tool used primarily for aligning RNA-Seq reads to a reference genome. It is designed to handle the unique challenges posed by RNA sequencing data, particularly the splicing of eukaryotic genes. Key features of TopHat include: 1. **Detection of Splicing Events**: TopHat identifies exon-exon junctions in RNA-Seq data, which is essential for mapping reads that span across splice junctions where introns are excised.