Sources of Variation in Gene Expression Levels in Control Animals
Author Information
Author(s): Boedigheimer Michael J, Wolfinger Russell D, Bass Michael B, Bushel Pierre R, Chou Jeff W, Cooper Matthew, Corton J Christopher, Fostel Jennifer, Hester Susan, Lee Janice S, Liu Fenglong, Liu Jie, Qian Hui-Rong, Quackenbush John, Pettit Syril, Thompson Karol L
Primary Institution: Amgen Inc.
Hypothesis
What are the key sources of variability in baseline gene expression levels from control animals across multiple laboratories?
Conclusion
Key sources of variability in gene expression include gender, organ section, strain, and fasting state.
Supporting Evidence
- The dataset included over 500 microarrays from control rat liver and kidney.
- Thirty-five biological and technical factors were evaluated for their contribution to variability.
- Gender, fasting, strain, and organ section were identified as key sources of variability.
Takeaway
This study looked at how different factors like gender and diet can change the way genes behave in rats, helping scientists understand better how to study these genes in the lab.
Methodology
Data from over 500 Affymetrix microarrays from control rat liver and kidney were collected from 16 different institutions and analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques.
Potential Biases
Confounding factors may obscure true sources of variability.
Limitations
The observational nature of the study limits causal inference, and many factors were confounded with others.
Participant Demographics
Data included both male (n=436) and female (n=100) rats from three strains.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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