TEAM: a tool for the integration of expression, and linkage and association maps.
The identification of genes primarily responsible for complex genetic disorders is a daunting task. Despite the assignment of many susceptibility loci, there has only been limited success in identifying disease genes based solely on positional information from genome-wide screens. The incorporation of several complementary strategies in a single integrated approach should facilitate and further enhance the efficacy of this search for genes. To permit the integration of linkage, association and expression data, together with functional annotations, we have developed a Java-based software tool: TEAM (tool for the integration of expression, and linkage and association maps). TEAM includes a genome viewer, capable of overlaying karyobands, genes, markers, linkage graphs, association data, gene expression levels and functional annotations in one composite view. Data management, analysis and filtering functionality was implemented and extended with links to the Ensembl, Unigene and Gene Ontology databases to facilitate gene annotation. Filtering functionality can help prevent the exclusion of poorly annotated, but differentially expressed, genes that reside in candidate regions that show linkage or association. Here we demonstrate the program's functionality in our study on coeliac disease (OMIM 212750), a multifactorial gluten-sensitive enteropathy. We performed a combined data analysis of a genome-wide linkage screen in 82 Dutch families with affected siblings and the microarray expression profiles of 18,110 cDNAs in 22 intestinal biopsies.
Franke
Lude
L
Complex Genetics Group, Department of Biomedical Genetics, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
van Bakel
Harm
H
Diosdado
Begoña
B
van Belzen
Martine
M
Wapenaar
Martin
M
Wijmenga
Cisca
C
D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000235:genetics; D019295:Computational Biology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D030342:Genetic Diseases, Inborn / Q000235:genetics*; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D020161:Physical Chromosome Mapping; D012984:Software