Dear list members,
I'm just starting using R to analyze my cDNA microarray data. After a
few days experience, I found there are so many different packages
available like marray, limma, sma, com.braju.sma, siggenes...etc. Some
of them have many functions doing the same work, and definitely each
package may provide its specific functions. So, I'm a little confused
for choosing these packages firstly for my following analysis.
Hopefully
experienced members can give me a short answer for these two
questions:
1) Do I have to use these packages together, or just choose one that I
feel comfortable?
2) Can somebody give me a short comparison for those most commonly
used
packages like limma, marray, sma..., especially give me a introduction
for those specific functions in a package which are not provided in
other packages? Then I know which package I should choose at
beginning.
Any answers and suggestions is appreciated
Yi
>
> I'm just starting using R to analyze my cDNA microarray data. After
a
> few days experience, I found there are so many different packages
> available like marray, limma, sma, com.braju.sma, siggenes...etc.
Some
> of them have many functions doing the same work, and definitely each
> package may provide its specific functions. So, I'm a little
confused
> for choosing these packages firstly for my following analysis.
Hopefully
> experienced members can give me a short answer for these two
questions:
>
> 1) Do I have to use these packages together, or just choose one that
I
> feel comfortable?
Oftentimes you will need to use several packages to carry
a satisfactory analysis. The organization of software into packages
is a source of both complexity and flexibility. A virtue of the
package-based design is that it makes it easier for users to define
their own preferred analysis sequences. A cost of the package-based
design is that users have to remember both the substantive functions
and the technical organization of functions into packages. The
help.search
function of R can often help in locating a package that addresses
a particular problem.
>
> 2) Can somebody give me a short comparison for those most commonly
used
> packages like limma, marray, sma..., especially give me a
introduction
> for those specific functions in a package which are not provided in
> other packages? Then I know which package I should choose at
beginning.
This is a fair question but it will take considerable work to answer.
We have started on a topical description of packages to replace
the current alphabetic list. The tasks of defining a partition of
packages across topics, and of eliminating all functional redundancies
among packages, will probably never be completed. Some very basic
functions that many packages need to use are placed in package
Biobase.
This is one effort to reduce redundancies.
Task-oriented documentation is provided in vignettes that are
available with each package: see the first entry in the Documentation
element of the www.bioconductor.org webpage sidebar. the vExplorer
function of tkWidgets allows you to step through the computations
described in a vignette.
Hi Yi,
I'd suggest using either limma or the marray packages for reading in
data,
normalising and visualising. There is a lot of overlap between these
two
packages so either should be satisfactory. When it comes to assessing
differentially expressed genes, you can use limma (linear modelling
approach), siggenes (implements SAM) or whatever else you think is
appropriate.
My understanding is that sma was developed prior to Bioconductor (and
com.braju.sma is a variant of sma developed using a different object
oriented approach), and development of sma stopped when Bioconductor
was put
together. I think both the marray packages and limma were developed
using
sma as a basis.
I use limma since I'm interested in using the linear modelling
approach, I
think it has good help, and is undergoing active development. However
I
occasionally use functions in the marray packages, or more often write
my
own code to do what I want.
As you get started I'd suggest that its well worth having a good look
at the
documentation and browsing through the package description. When you
start
the help (html help menu in windows RGui or start.help() in linux)
goto the
package section and click on limma.
Read the overview carefully which explains how to do various things in
limma.
Then look over the Introduction, classes, reading data, normalisation,
linear models and diagnostics section. From there just browse through
different functions to see what they do. I also find its worth having
a
look through the R code for limma and marray packages. You can see how
things are done and it gives you ideas on how to write your own
functions.
Both limma and marray packages contain references to papers regarding
normalisation and statistical issues in microarray analysis which you
might
also want to look at.
You might also want to have a look at
http://www.statsci.org/micrarra/refs.html
Cheers
Chris
Dr Chris Wilkinson
Research Officer (Bioinformatics) | Visiting Research Fellow
Child Health Research Institute (CHRI) | Microarray Analysis Group
7th floor, Clarence Rieger Building | Room 121
Women's and Children's Hospital | School of Applied
Mathematics
72 King William Rd, North Adelaide, 5006 | The University of Adelaide,
5005
Math's Office (Room 121) Ph: 8303 3714
CHRI Office (CR2 52A) Ph: 8161 6363
Christopher.Wilkinson@adelaide.edu.au
http://mag.maths.adelaide.edu.au/crwilkinson.html
>
> From: Yi Zou <yzou1971@netscape.net>
> Subject: [BioC] Confusion for choosing package for microarray data
> analysis
> To: bioconductor@stat.math.ethz.ch
> Message-ID: <40563DE5.1050000@netscape.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
>
> Dear list members,
>
> I'm just starting using R to analyze my cDNA microarray data. After
a
> few days experience, I found there are so many different packages
> available like marray, limma, sma, com.braju.sma, siggenes...etc.
Some
> of them have many functions doing the same work, and definitely each
> package may provide its specific functions. So, I'm a little
confused
> for choosing these packages firstly for my following analysis.
Hopefully
> experienced members can give me a short answer for these two
questions:
>
> 1) Do I have to use these packages together, or just choose one that
I
> feel comfortable?
>
> 2) Can somebody give me a short comparison for those most commonly
used
> packages like limma, marray, sma..., especially give me a
introduction
> for those specific functions in a package which are not provided in
> other packages? Then I know which package I should choose at
beginning.
>
> Any answers and suggestions is appreciated
>
> Yi
Hi Chris,
Thanks so much for you, Gordon, Sean and other member's patient
answer, it's very clear to me know. Your suggestions is very useful to
the R beginner like me.
Cheers
Yi
Christopher.Wilkinson@adelaide.edu.au wrote:
>Hi Yi,
>
>I'd suggest using either limma or the marray packages for reading in
data,
>normalising and visualising. There is a lot of overlap between these
two
>packages so either should be satisfactory. When it comes to assessing
>differentially expressed genes, you can use limma (linear modelling
>approach), siggenes (implements SAM) or whatever else you think is
>appropriate.
>
>My understanding is that sma was developed prior to Bioconductor (and
>com.braju.sma is a variant of sma developed using a different object
>oriented approach), and development of sma stopped when Bioconductor
was put
>together. I think both the marray packages and limma were developed
using
>sma as a basis.
>
>I use limma since I'm interested in using the linear modelling
approach, I
>think it has good help, and is undergoing active development. However
I
>occasionally use functions in the marray packages, or more often
write my
>own code to do what I want.
>
>As you get started I'd suggest that its well worth having a good look
at the
>documentation and browsing through the package description. When you
start
>the help (html help menu in windows RGui or start.help() in linux)
goto the
>package section and click on limma.
>
>Read the overview carefully which explains how to do various things
in
>limma.
>Then look over the Introduction, classes, reading data,
normalisation,
>linear models and diagnostics section. From there just browse through
>different functions to see what they do. I also find its worth
having a
>look through the R code for limma and marray packages. You can see
how
>things are done and it gives you ideas on how to write your own
functions.
>
>Both limma and marray packages contain references to papers regarding
>normalisation and statistical issues in microarray analysis which you
might
>also want to look at.
>You might also want to have a look at
>http://www.statsci.org/micrarra/refs.html
>
>Cheers
>Chris
>
>Dr Chris Wilkinson
>
>Research Officer (Bioinformatics) | Visiting Research Fellow
>Child Health Research Institute (CHRI) | Microarray Analysis Group
>7th floor, Clarence Rieger Building | Room 121
>Women's and Children's Hospital | School of Applied
Mathematics
>72 King William Rd, North Adelaide, 5006 | The University of
Adelaide, 5005
>
>Math's Office (Room 121) Ph: 8303 3714
>CHRI Office (CR2 52A) Ph: 8161 6363
>
>Christopher.Wilkinson@adelaide.edu.au
>
>http://mag.maths.adelaide.edu.au/crwilkinson.html
>
>
>
>>From: Yi Zou <yzou1971@netscape.net>
>>Subject: [BioC] Confusion for choosing package for microarray data
>> analysis
>>To: bioconductor@stat.math.ethz.ch
>>Message-ID: <40563DE5.1050000@netscape.net>
>>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
>>
>>Dear list members,
>>
>>I'm just starting using R to analyze my cDNA microarray data. After
a
>>few days experience, I found there are so many different packages
>>available like marray, limma, sma, com.braju.sma, siggenes...etc.
Some
>>of them have many functions doing the same work, and definitely each
>>package may provide its specific functions. So, I'm a little
confused
>>for choosing these packages firstly for my following analysis.
Hopefully
>>experienced members can give me a short answer for these two
questions:
>>
>>1) Do I have to use these packages together, or just choose one that
I
>>feel comfortable?
>>
>>2) Can somebody give me a short comparison for those most commonly
used
>>packages like limma, marray, sma..., especially give me a
introduction
>>for those specific functions in a package which are not provided in
>>other packages? Then I know which package I should choose at
beginning.
>>
>>Any answers and suggestions is appreciated
>>
>>Yi
>>
>>
>
>
>
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