Iterative cluster analysis of protein interaction data.
BACKGROUND
Generation of fast tools of hierarchical clustering to be applied when distances among elements of a set are constrained, causing frequent distance ties, as happens in protein interaction data.


RESULTS
We present in this work the program UVCLUSTER, that iteratively explores distance datasets using hierarchical clustering. Once the user selects a group of proteins, UVCLUSTER converts the set of primary distances among them (i.e. the minimum number of steps, or interactions, required to connect two proteins) into secondary distances that measure the strength of the connection between each pair of proteins when the interactions for all the proteins in the group are considered. We show that this novel strategy has advantages over conventional clustering methods to explore protein-protein interaction data. UVCLUSTER easily incorporates the information of the largest available interaction datasets to generate comprehensive primary distance tables. The versatility, simplicity of use and high speed of UVCLUSTER on standard personal computers suggest that it can be a benchmark analytical tool for interactome data analysis.


BACKGROUND
The program is available upon request from the authors, free for academic users. Additional information available at http://www.uv.es/genomica/UVCLUSTER.
Arnau
Vicente
V
Departamento de Informática, Universidad de Valencia, Burjassot 46100, Valencia, Spain.
Mars
Sergio
S
Marín
Ignacio
I
D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000465:Algorithms; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D025941:Protein Interaction Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D012984:Software
D000199:Actins; D011506:Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins