DiscMycoVir: a user-friendly platform for discovering mycoviruses in fungal transcriptomes

Purpose: The article presents DiscMycoVir, an elegant and user-friendly platform for discovering mycoviruses in fungal transcriptomes. DiscMycoVir is a pipeline of established tools for next-generation sequencing analysis and database searching, incorporated in an interface that facilitates accessibility even for users that have no programming skills and expertise. A comprehensive and detailed result report enhances user experience. DiscMycoVir can be accessed online for reviewing purposes at: https://discmycovir.imslab.gr:8000 and the source code is located at https://github.com/abompotas/DiscMycoVir. We recommend using the GitHub repository, as the online platform may lack the necessary resources to ensure uninterrupted service especially on large files. Methods–results: We employed state-of-the-art technologies in the design and implementation phase of the platform. We present the application of the platform in screening RNA-seq data from the yeast Candida auris for mycoviruses, demonstrating its efficiency and simplicity in use. Conclusions: DiscMycoVir serves as a user-friendly platform for identifying mycoviruses in RNA-seq data. Our tool was successfully implemented to discover mycoviruses in a C. auris isolate and could be adapted to detect viruses in transcriptomes from other organisms as well.