Computational Identification of Transcriptional Regulators in Human Endotoxemia
2011

Identifying Key Transcription Factors in Human Endotoxemia

Sample size: 3 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Nguyen Tung T., Foteinou Panagiota T., Calvano Steven E., Lowry Stephen F., Androulakis Ioannis P.

Primary Institution: BioMaPS Institute for Quantitative Biology, Rutgers University

Hypothesis

Genes that are most responsive to endotoxin and have concerted changes in their expression profiles are governed by some common regulatory mechanism.

Conclusion

The study computationally identified key transcription factors and proposed a time-dependent transcriptional regulatory program associated with critical inflammatory responses.

Supporting Evidence

  • The study identified 34 transcription factors relevant to human inflammatory responses.
  • Four significant patterns of gene expression were identified in response to endotoxin.
  • Statistically significant cis-regulatory modules were identified and linked to transcription factors.

Takeaway

This study looked at how certain genes react to a substance that causes inflammation in the body, helping us understand how our immune system works.

Methodology

The study used high-dimensional transcriptional profiling data from human blood leukocytes to analyze gene expression patterns and identify transcription factors.

Potential Biases

Potential biases may arise from the reliance on existing literature for validation of identified transcription factors.

Limitations

The study's computational methods may miss some transcription factors that bind to regions far from the transcription start sites.

Participant Demographics

The study involved human subjects injected with endotoxin and isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy individuals.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0018889

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication