title: hSAGEing: an improved SAGE-based software for identification of human tissue-specific or common tumor markers and suppressors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  SAGE (serial analysis of gene expression) is a powerful method of analyzing gene expression for the entire transcriptome. There are currently many well-developed SAGE tools. However, the cross-comparison of different tissues is seldom addressed, thus limiting the identification of common- and tissue-specific tumor markers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To improve the SAGE mining methods, we propose a novel function for cross-tissue comparison of SAGE data by combining the mathematical set theory and logic with a unique "multi-pool method" that analyzes multiple pools of pair-wise case controls individually. When all the settings are in "inclusion", the common SAGE tag sequences are mined. When one tissue type is in "inclusion" and the other types of tissues are not in "inclusion", the selected tissue-specific SAGE tag sequences are generated. They are displayed in tags-per-million (TPM) and fold values, as well as visually displayed in four kinds of scales in a color gradient pattern. In the fold visualization display, the top scores of the SAGE tag sequences are provided, along with cluster plots. A user-defined matrix file is designed for cross-tissue comparison by selecting libraries from publically available databases or user-defined libraries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The hSAGEing tool provides a combination of friendly cross-tissue analysis and an interface for comparing SAGE libraries for the first time. Some up- or down-regulated genes with tissue-specific or common tumor markers and suppressors are identified computationally. The tool is useful and convenient for in silico cancer transcriptomic studies and is freely available at http://bio.kuas.edu.tw/hSAGEing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electronic Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, and Cancer Center, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Li-Yeh
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Tsung-Mu
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: Hsueh-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D003196:Computer Graphics; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D012984:Software; D014584:User-Computer Interface
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor