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ABSTRACT: Motivation
Each year, the number of published bulk and single-cell RNA-seq datasets is growing exponentially. Studies analyzing such data are commonly looking at gene-level differences, while the collected RNA-seq data inherently represents reads of transcript isoform sequences. Utilizing transcriptomic quantifiers, RNA-seq reads can be attributed to specific isoforms, allowing for analysis of transcript-level differences. A differential transcript usage (DTU) analysis is testing for proportional differences in a gene's transcript composition, and has been of rising interest for many research questions, such as analysis of differential splicing or cell-type identification.Results
We present the R package DTUrtle, the first DTU analysis workflow for both bulk and single-cell RNA-seq datasets, and the first package to conduct a 'classical' DTU analysis in a single-cell context. DTUrtle extends established statistical frameworks, offers various result aggregation and visualization options and a novel detection probability score for tagged-end data. It has been successfully applied to bulk and single-cell RNA-seq data of human and mouse, confirming and extending key results. In addition, we present novel potential DTU applications like the identification of cell-type specific transcript isoforms as biomarkers.Availability and implementation
The R package DTUrtle is available at https://github.com/TobiTekath/DTUrtle with extensive vignettes and documentation at https://tobitekath.github.io/DTUrtle/.Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
SUBMITTER: Tekath T
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8570804 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Bioinformatics (Oxford, England) 20211101 21
<h4>Motivation</h4>Each year, the number of published bulk and single-cell RNA-seq datasets is growing exponentially. Studies analyzing such data are commonly looking at gene-level differences, while the collected RNA-seq data inherently represents reads of transcript isoform sequences. Utilizing transcriptomic quantifiers, RNA-seq reads can be attributed to specific isoforms, allowing for analysis of transcript-level differences. A differential transcript usage (DTU) analysis is testing for pro ...[more]