Bioinformatics Advance Access published online on February 5, 2008
Bioinformatics, doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/btn048
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ITALICS: an algorithm for normalization and DNA copy number calling for Affymetrix SNP arrays
aInstitut Curie, 26 rue d'Ulm, Paris, 75248 cedex 05, France, bINSERM, U900, Paris, F-75248 France, cEcole des Mines de Paris, ParisTech, Fontainebleau, F-77300 France., dCNRS UMR144, Paris, F-75248 France, eInstitut Curie, Translational Research Department, Paris, F-75248 France. These authors contributed equally to this work
To whom correspondence should be addressed. Mr.Philippe Hupé, E-mail: philippe.hupe{at}curie.fr
| Abstract |
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Motivation: Affymetrix SNP arrays can be used to determine the DNA copy number measurement of 11,000 to 500,000 SNPs along the genome. Their high density facilitates the precise localization of genomic alterations and makes them a powerful tool for studies of cancers and copy number polymorphism. Like other microarray technologies it is influenced by non-relevant sources of variation, requiring correction. Moreover, the amplitude of variation induced by non-relevant effects is similar or greater than the biologically relevant effect (i.e. true copy number), making it difficult to estimate nonrelevant effects accurately without including the biologically relevant effect.
Results: We addressed this problem by developing ITALICS, a normalization method that estimates both biological and non-relevant effects in an alternate, iterative manner, accurately eliminating irrelevant effects. We compared our normalization method with other existing and available methods, and found that ITALICS outperformed these methods for several in-house datasets and one public dataset. These results were validated biologically by quantitative PCR.
Availability: The R package ITALICS (ITerative and Alternative normaLIzation and Copy number call for affymetrix Snp arrays) has been submitted to Bioconductor.
Contact: italics{at}curie.fr
Associate Editor: Dr.Chris Stoeckert
*These authors contributed equally to this work
Received on August 21, 2007; revised on January 29, 2008; accepted on January 29, 2008