SpotWhatR: a user-friendly microarray data analysis system

• Published in: Genetics and molecular research Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 93 - 107
• Main Authors: Koide, T, Salem-Izacc, S.M, Gomes, S.L, Vencio, R.Z.N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil 01.01.2006
• Subjects: Blastocladiella - genetics; Blastocladiella emersonii; Cluster Analysis; Computer Graphics; Gene Expression Profiling; gene expression regulation; Humans; microarray technology; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis - instrumentation; plant pathogenic bacteria; Software; transcription (genetics); User-Computer Interface; Xylella - genetics; Xylella fastidiosa
• ISSN: 1676-5680; 1676-5680

SpotWhatR is a user-friendly microarray data analysis tool that runs under a widely and freely available R statistical language (http://www.r-project.org) for Windows and Linux operational systems. The aim of SpotWhatR is to help the researcher to analyze microarray data by providing basic tools for data visualization, normalization, determination of differentially expressed genes, summarization by Gene Ontology terms, and clustering analysis. SpotWhatR allows researchers who are not familiar with computational programming to choose the most suitable analysis for their microarray dataset. Along with well-known procedures used in microarray data analysis, we have introduced a stand-alone implementation of the HTself method, especially designed to find differentially expressed genes in low-replication contexts. This approach is more compatible with our local reality than the usual statistical methods. We provide several examples derived from the Blastocladiella emersonii and Xylella fastidiosa Microarray Projects. SpotWhatR is freely available at http://blasto.iq.usp.br/~tkoide/SpotWhatR, in English and Portuguese versions. In addition, the user can choose between "single experiment" and "batch processing" versions.