MINSEQEstandardi

MINSEQE, or Minimum Information about a High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing Experiment, is a metadata standard developed to standardize the description of sequencing experiments and to improve data reuse. It provides a structured checklist of information that should accompany sequencing data to enable interpretation, replication, and integration with other datasets.

The standard was developed by the Genomic Standards Consortium in the late 2000s as an extension of the MIAME framework for microarray experiments. MINSEQE covers key metadata categories such as the study design and objectives, biological material and sample metadata, nucleic acid extraction and library preparation, sequencing platform and run parameters, data processing and analysis workflows, and data availability and provenance. The goal is to capture sufficient context so that a user can understand how the data were generated and processed.

Relationship and compatibility: MINSEQE is part of the broader set of minimal information checklists, including MIxS, and is designed to be compatible with formats like ISA-Tab to facilitate data submission and exchange across repositories and journals.

Impact and status: The standard informs data submission requirements in some public repositories and publications. While not universally mandated, MINSEQE has influenced metadata practices in genomics and the adoption of more systematic reporting for high-throughput sequencing experiments.