SeqEnrich: A tool to predict transcription factor networks from co-expressed Arabidopsis and Brassica napus gene sets

PLoS One. 2017 Jun 2;12(6):e0178256. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178256. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Transcription factors and their associated DNA binding sites are key regulatory elements of cellular differentiation, development, and environmental response. New tools that predict transcriptional regulation of biological processes are valuable to researchers studying both model and emerging-model plant systems. SeqEnrich predicts transcription factor networks from co-expressed Arabidopsis or Brassica napus gene sets. The networks produced by SeqEnrich are supported by existing literature and predicted transcription factor-DNA interactions that can be functionally validated at the laboratory bench. The program functions with gene sets of varying sizes and derived from diverse tissues and environmental treatments. SeqEnrich presents as a powerful predictive framework for the analysis of Arabidopsis and Brassica napus co-expression data, and is designed so that researchers at all levels can easily access and interpret predicted transcriptional circuits. The program outperformed its ancestral program ChipEnrich, and produced detailed transcription factor networks from Arabidopsis and Brassica napus gene expression data. The SeqEnrich program is ideal for generating new hypotheses and distilling biological information from large-scale expression data.

MeSH terms

  • Arabidopsis / genetics*
  • Arabidopsis / metabolism
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism
  • Brassica napus / genetics*
  • Brassica napus / metabolism
  • DNA, Plant / genetics
  • DNA, Plant / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant*
  • Genes, Plant
  • Genomics
  • Plant Proteins / genetics*
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism
  • Protein Interaction Maps
  • Software
  • Transcription Factors / genetics*
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Transcriptional Activation

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • DNA, Plant
  • Plant Proteins
  • Transcription Factors

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Discovery and Accelerator Program grants from the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada to MFB, a Vanier Scholarship to MGB and USRA to NCPV.