Caujapé-Castells J, Sabbagh I, Castellano JJ, Ramos R, Henríquez V, Quintana FM, Medina DA, Toledo J, Ramírez F, Rodríguez JF
Molecular Ecology Resources 2013 (doi: 10.1111/1755-0998.12084)
Transformer-4 version 2.0.1 (T4) is a multi-platform freeware programmed in JAVA that can transform a genotype matrix in Excel or XML format into the input formats of one or several of the most commonly used population genetic software, for any possible combination of the populations that the matrix contains. T4 also allows the users to (i) draw allozyme gel interpretations for any number of diploid individuals, and then generate a genotype matrix ready to be used by T4; and (ii) produce basic reports about the data in the matrices.
Furthermore, T4 is the only way to optionally submit ‘genetic diversity digests’ for publication in the Demiurge online information system (http://www.demiurge-project.org). Each such digest undergoes peer-review, and it consists of a geo-referenced data matrix in the tfm4 format plus any ancillary document or hyperlink that the digest authors see fit to include. The complementarity between T4 and Demiurge facilitates a free, safe, permanent, and standardized data archival and analysis system for researchers, and may also be a convenient resource for scientific journals, public administrations, or higher educators.
T4 and its converters are freely available (at, respectively, http://www.demiurge-project.org/download_t4 and http://www.demiurge-project.org/converterstore) upon registration in the Demiurge information system (http://demiurge-project.org/register). Users have to click on the link provided on an account validation email, and accept Demiurge’s terms of use (see http://www.demiurge-project.org/termsofuse). A thorough user’s guide is available within T4. A 3-min promotional video about T4 and Demiurge can be seen at http://vimeo.com/29828406.
