Using control genes to correct for unwanted variation in microarray data
TL;DR: A new method, intended for use in differential expression studies, that attempts to overcome the problem of unwanted variation by restricting the factor analysis to negative control genes, and finds that RUV-2 performs as well or better than other methods.
Abstract: SUMMARY Microarray expression studies suffer from the problem of batch effects and other unwanted variation. Many methods have been proposed to adjust microarray data to mitigate the problems of unwanted variation. Several of these methods rely on factor analysis to infer the unwanted variation from the data. A central problem with this approach is the difficulty in discerning the unwanted variation from the biological variation that is of interest to the researcher. We present a new method, intended for use in differential expression studies, that attempts to overcome this problem by restricting the factor analysis to negative control genes. Negative control genes are genes known a priori not to be differentially expressed with respect to the biological factor of interest. Variation in the expression levels of these genes can therefore be assumed to be unwanted variation. We name this method “Remove Unwanted Variation, 2-step” (RUV2). We discuss various techniques for assessing the performance of an adjustment method and compare the performance of RUV-2 with that of other commonly used adjustment methods such as Combat and Surrogate Variable Analysis (SVA). We present several example studies, each concerning genes differentially expressed with respect to gender in the brain and find that RUV-2 performs as well or better than other methods. Finally, we discuss the possibility of adapting RUV-2 for use in studies not concerned with differential expression and conclude that there may be promise but substantial challenges remain.
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TL;DR: The sva package is described, which supports surrogate variable estimation with the sva function, direct adjustment for known batch effects with the ComBat function and adjustment for batch and latent variables in prediction problems with the fsva function.
Abstract: Summary: Heterogeneity and latent variables are now widely recognized as major sources of bias and variability in high-throughput experiments. The most well-known source of latent variation in genomic experiments are batch effects—when samples are processed on different days, in different groups or by different people. However, there are also a large number of other variables that may have a major impact on high-throughput measurements. Here we describe the sva package for identifying, estimating and removing unwanted sources of variation in high-throughput experiments. The sva package supports surrogate variable estimation with the sva function, direct adjustment for known batch effects with the ComBat function and adjustment for batch and latent variables in prediction problems with the fsva function.
Availability: The R package sva is freely available from http://www.bioconductor.org.
Contact: jleek@jhsph.edu
Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
3,343 citations
01 Mar 2001
TL;DR: Using singular value decomposition in transforming genome-wide expression data from genes x arrays space to reduced diagonalized "eigengenes" x "eigenarrays" space gives a global picture of the dynamics of gene expression, in which individual genes and arrays appear to be classified into groups of similar regulation and function, or similar cellular state and biological phenotype.
Abstract: ‡We describe the use of singular value decomposition in transforming genome-wide expression data from genes 3 arrays space to reduced diagonalized ‘‘eigengenes’’ 3 ‘‘eigenarrays’’ space, where the eigengenes (or eigenarrays) are unique orthonormal superpositions of the genes (or arrays). Normalizing the data by filtering out the eigengenes (and eigenarrays) that are inferred to represent noise or experimental artifacts enables meaningful comparison of the expression of different genes across different arrays in different experiments. Sorting the data according to the eigengenes and eigenarrays gives a global picture of the dynamics of gene expression, in which individual genes and arrays appear to be classified into groups of similar regulation and function, or similar cellular state and biological phenotype, respectively. After normalization and sorting, the significant eigengenes and eigenarrays can be associated with observed genome-wide effects of regulators, or with measured samples, in which these regulators are overactive or underactive, respectively.
1,815 citations
TL;DR: This work proposes a normalization strategy, called remove unwanted variation (RUV), that adjusts for nuisance technical effects by performing factor analysis on suitable sets of control genes or samples and leads to more accurate estimates of expression fold-changes and tests of differential expression compared to state-of-the-art normalization methods.
Abstract: Normalization of RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data has proven essential to ensure accurate inference of expression levels Here, we show that usual normalization approaches mostly account for sequencing depth and fail to correct for library preparation and other more complex unwanted technical effects We evaluate the performance of the External RNA Control Consortium (ERCC) spike-in controls and investigate the possibility of using them directly for normalization We show that the spike-ins are not reliable enough to be used in standard global-scaling or regression-based normalization procedures We propose a normalization strategy, called remove unwanted variation (RUV), that adjusts for nuisance technical effects by performing factor analysis on suitable sets of control genes (eg, ERCC spike-ins) or samples (eg, replicate libraries) Our approach leads to more accurate estimates of expression fold-changes and tests of differential expression compared to state-of-the-art normalization methods In particular, RUV promises to be valuable for large collaborative projects involving multiple laboratories, technicians, and/or sequencing platforms
1,449 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that the single-cell latent variable model (scLVM) allows the identification of otherwise undetectable subpopulations of cells that correspond to different stages during the differentiation of naive T cells into T helper 2 cells.
Abstract: Hidden cell sub-populations are detected by accounting for confounding variation inthe analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data. Recent technical developments have enabled the transcriptomes of hundreds of cells to be assayed in an unbiased manner, opening up the possibility that new subpopulations of cells can be found. However, the effects of potential confounding factors, such as the cell cycle, on the heterogeneity of gene expression and therefore on the ability to robustly identify subpopulations remain unclear. We present and validate a computational approach that uses latent variable models to account for such hidden factors. We show that our single-cell latent variable model (scLVM) allows the identification of otherwise undetectable subpopulations of cells that correspond to different stages during the differentiation of naive T cells into T helper 2 cells. Our approach can be used not only to identify cellular subpopulations but also to tease apart different sources of gene expression heterogeneity in single-cell transcriptomes.
1,132 citations
TL;DR: This protocol presents a state-of-the-art computational and statistical RNA-seq differential expression analysis workflow largely based on the free open-source R language and Bioconductor software and, in particular, on two widely used tools, DESeq and edgeR.
Abstract: RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has been rapidly adopted for the profiling of transcriptomes in many areas of biology, including studies into gene regulation, development and disease. Of particular interest is the discovery of differentially expressed genes across different conditions (e.g., tissues, perturbations) while optionally adjusting for other systematic factors that affect the data-collection process. There are a number of subtle yet crucial aspects of these analyses, such as read counting, appropriate treatment of biological variability, quality control checks and appropriate setup of statistical modeling. Several variations have been presented in the literature, and there is a need for guidance on current best practices. This protocol presents a state-of-the-art computational and statistical RNA-seq differential expression analysis workflow largely based on the free open-source R language and Bioconductor software and, in particular, on two widely used tools, DESeq and edgeR. Hands-on time for typical small experiments (e.g., 4-10 samples) can be <1 h, with computation time <1 d using a standard desktop PC.
1,029 citations
References
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TL;DR: This book covers a broad range of topics for regular factorial designs and presents all of the material in very mathematical fashion and will surely become an invaluable resource for researchers and graduate students doing research in the design of factorial experiments.
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18,802 citations
"Using control genes to correct for ..." refers background or methods in this paper
...4 of Bishop (2006). The implementation of the algorithm is our own....
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...The model and the algorithm are described in Section 12.2.4 of Bishop (2006)....
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01 Dec 2010
TL;DR: A guide to using S environments to perform statistical analyses providing both an introduction to the use of S and a course in modern statistical methods.
Abstract: A guide to using S environments to perform statistical analyses providing both an introduction to the use of S and a course in modern statistical methods The emphasis is on presenting practical problems and full analyses of real data sets
18,346 citations
"Using control genes to correct for ..." refers background or methods in this paper
...More information can be found in Venables and Ripley (2002). Consider two full-rank matrices Un×p and Vn×q....
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...We repeated our analysis with 9Many people find scree plots to be helpful as well (Venables and Ripley, 2002)....
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TL;DR: The hierarchical model of Lonnstedt and Speed (2002) is developed into a practical approach for general microarray experiments with arbitrary numbers of treatments and RNA samples and the moderated t-statistic is shown to follow a t-distribution with augmented degrees of freedom.
Abstract: The problem of identifying differentially expressed genes in designed microarray experiments is considered. Lonnstedt and Speed (2002) derived an expression for the posterior odds of differential expression in a replicated two-color experiment using a simple hierarchical parametric model. The purpose of this paper is to develop the hierarchical model of Lonnstedt and Speed (2002) into a practical approach for general microarray experiments with arbitrary numbers of treatments and RNA samples. The model is reset in the context of general linear models with arbitrary coefficients and contrasts of interest. The approach applies equally well to both single channel and two color microarray experiments. Consistent, closed form estimators are derived for the hyperparameters in the model. The estimators proposed have robust behavior even for small numbers of arrays and allow for incomplete data arising from spot filtering or spot quality weights. The posterior odds statistic is reformulated in terms of a moderated t-statistic in which posterior residual standard deviations are used in place of ordinary standard deviations. The empirical Bayes approach is equivalent to shrinkage of the estimated sample variances towards a pooled estimate, resulting in far more stable inference when the number of arrays is small. The use of moderated t-statistics has the advantage over the posterior odds that the number of hyperparameters which need to estimated is reduced; in particular, knowledge of the non-null prior for the fold changes are not required. The moderated t-statistic is shown to follow a t-distribution with augmented degrees of freedom. The moderated t inferential approach extends to accommodate tests of composite null hypotheses through the use of moderated F-statistics. The performance of the methods is demonstrated in a simulation study. Results are presented for two publicly available data sets.
11,864 citations
"Using control genes to correct for ..." refers methods in this paper
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TL;DR: There is no obvious downside to using RMA and attaching a standard error (SE) to this quantity using a linear model which removes probe-specific affinities, and the exploratory data analyses of the probe level data motivate a new summary measure that is a robust multi-array average (RMA) of background-adjusted, normalized, and log-transformed PM values.
Abstract: SUMMARY In this paper we report exploratory analyses of high-density oligonucleotide array data from the Affymetrix GeneChip R � system with the objective of improving upon currently used measures of gene expression. Our analyses make use of three data sets: a small experimental study consisting of five MGU74A mouse GeneChip R � arrays, part of the data from an extensive spike-in study conducted by Gene Logic and Wyeth’s Genetics Institute involving 95 HG-U95A human GeneChip R � arrays; and part of a dilution study conducted by Gene Logic involving 75 HG-U95A GeneChip R � arrays. We display some familiar features of the perfect match and mismatch probe ( PM and MM )v alues of these data, and examine the variance–mean relationship with probe-level data from probes believed to be defective, and so delivering noise only. We explain why we need to normalize the arrays to one another using probe level intensities. We then examine the behavior of the PM and MM using spike-in data and assess three commonly used summary measures: Affymetrix’s (i) average difference (AvDiff) and (ii) MAS 5.0 signal, and (iii) the Li and Wong multiplicative model-based expression index (MBEI). The exploratory data analyses of the probe level data motivate a new summary measure that is a robust multiarray average (RMA) of background-adjusted, normalized, and log-transformed PM values. We evaluate the four expression summary measures using the dilution study data, assessing their behavior in terms of bias, variance and (for MBEI and RMA) model fit. Finally, we evaluate the algorithms in terms of their ability to detect known levels of differential expression using the spike-in data. We conclude that there is no obvious downside to using RMA and attaching a standard error (SE) to this quantity using a linear model which removes probe-specific affinities. ∗ To whom correspondence should be addressed
10,711 citations