November 2010 | Volume 5 | Issue 11 | e13984 | Daniele Merico*, Ruth Isserlin, Oliver Stueker, Andrew Emili, Gary D. Bader*
The paper introduces Enrichment Map, a network-based visualization method for gene-set enrichment analysis. Gene-set enrichment analysis helps identify functionally coherent gene sets, such as pathways, that are over-represented in a given gene list. However, the increasing number and redundancy of gene sets can complicate interpretation. Enrichment Map addresses this issue by organizing gene sets into a network where each set is a node and edges represent gene overlap between sets. The network layout groups related gene sets into clusters, making it easier to identify major enriched functional themes. The method is implemented as a user-friendly plugin for Cytoscape, a network visualization software. The authors demonstrate the utility of Enrichment Map through three use cases: analyzing estrogen treatment of breast cancer cells, comparing estrogen response at different time points, and identifying functional groups enriched in early-onset colon cancer. Enrichment Map is shown to provide a concise and biologically meaningful view of cellular processes and components characterized by differential expression, facilitating the interpretation of gene-set enrichment results.The paper introduces Enrichment Map, a network-based visualization method for gene-set enrichment analysis. Gene-set enrichment analysis helps identify functionally coherent gene sets, such as pathways, that are over-represented in a given gene list. However, the increasing number and redundancy of gene sets can complicate interpretation. Enrichment Map addresses this issue by organizing gene sets into a network where each set is a node and edges represent gene overlap between sets. The network layout groups related gene sets into clusters, making it easier to identify major enriched functional themes. The method is implemented as a user-friendly plugin for Cytoscape, a network visualization software. The authors demonstrate the utility of Enrichment Map through three use cases: analyzing estrogen treatment of breast cancer cells, comparing estrogen response at different time points, and identifying functional groups enriched in early-onset colon cancer. Enrichment Map is shown to provide a concise and biologically meaningful view of cellular processes and components characterized by differential expression, facilitating the interpretation of gene-set enrichment results.