UMAP
See how your matches group by similarity
The UMAP tab is a two-dimensional map of your matching iBGCs in which similar clusters sit close together. Where the Variables map plots metrics you choose, the UMAP plots overall similarity: it is the view for spotting families, clusters of related candidates, and isolated outliers.
What the coordinates mean
The map is a projection of the high-dimensional similarity space (shared protein domains and their arrangement) down to two dimensions. The axes themselves have no units — only proximity is meaningful. Two iBGCs near each other have similar domain content; two far apart do not.
Points are coloured by gene cluster family (GCF), so a tight, single-coloured cluster is one family and a sparse, mixed region holds unrelated singletons.
How to read it for discovery
- Dense, single-colour clumps are well-populated families — common biosynthetic strategies.
- Isolated points are clusters with few or no close relatives — often the most novel candidates. Cross-check them with the Novelty column in the roster.
- The pinned reference iBGC is always drawn so you can see where your anchor falls relative to everything else.
Complete vs partial clusters
Most iBGCs are placed directly from their own domain content. Partial iBGCs — clusters that run off the edge of a contig and may be incomplete — are instead positioned by averaging the coordinates of their nearest complete neighbours. They still appear on the map; treat their exact position as approximate. Partial iBGCs are flagged in the roster and detail panels.
Interactions
- Left-click a point to load it into the Compare panel.
- Right-click for the actions menu (set as reference, find similar, add to shortlist).