Gecko and GhostFam: rigorous and efficient gene cluster detection in prokaryotic genomes.

A popular approach in comparative genomics is to locate groups or clusters of orthologous genes in multiple genomes and to postulate functional association between the genes contained in such clusters. For a rigorous and efficient detection in multiple genomes, it is essential to have an appropriate model of gene clusters accompanied by efficient algorithms locating them. The Gecko method described herein was designed to serve as a basic tool for the detection and visualization of gene cluster data in prokaryotic genomes founded on a formal string-based gene cluster model.