Track Display Jockey (trackDJ): a user-friendly R package for visualization of epigenomic data
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Background
Visualization of epigenomic data such as coverage tracks, peak calls, and chromatin interactions is a critical task in genomic data analysis. Although genome browsers such as the Integrative Genomics Viewer (IGV) and the UCSC Genome Browser permit user-friendly exploration of genomic tracks, they are not optimized for fully programmatic and reproducible generation of publication-quality figures. In contrast, existing programmatic tools lack a user-friendly interface and require extensive configuration.
Results
We present trackDJ (Track Display Jockey) , an R package for visualization of epigenomic data. trackDJ prioritizes usability by favoring convention over configuration; it provides high-level plotting functions with sensible defaults, allowing users with minimal programming experience to generate clear, publication-quality figures with relatively little coding. Within a unified plotting framework, users can stack and align multiple data types, including coverage tracks, peak annotations, chromatin loops, and gene annotations. trackDJ allows users to select plotted genomic regions by coordinates or by gene name, enabling rapid visualization without knowledge of precise locus boundaries.
Conclusions
trackDJ provides a user-friendly and reproducible alternative to interactive genome browsers for epigenomic visualization, filling a critical gap in currently available epigenomics toolkits. By enabling scripted generation of clean, customizable genomic illustrations, trackDJ integrates naturally into R-based analysis workflows to streamline the creation of publication-quality figures.
