Cited by 193Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesGene expression and cancer classificationSingle-cell and spatial transcriptomics

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 39 of the 39 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 17 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Modeling of RNA-seq fragment sequence bias reduces systematic errors in transcript abundance estimation

Open access

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

We find that current computational methods for estimating transcript abundance from RNA-seq data can lead to hundreds of false-positive results. We show that these systematic errors stem largely from a failure to model fragment GC content bias. Sample-specific biases associated with fragment sequence features lead to misidentification of transcript isoforms. We introduce alpine, a method for estimating sample-specific bias-corrected transcript abundance. By incorporating fragment sequence features, alpine greatly increases the accuracy of transcript abundance estimates, enabling a fourfold reduction in the number of false positives for reported changes in expression compared with Cufflinks. Using simulated data, we also show that alpine retains the ability to discover true positives, similar to other approaches. The method is available as an R/Bioconductor package that includes data visualization tools useful for bias discovery.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/nbt.3682

Cites

39 of 39 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 17 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 33 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 21
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 5
23 of 23
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The 30 GEUVADIS samples from the two sequencing centers have no true biological differences across centers, so across-center differential expression is technical.

    “We downloaded 30 RNA-seq samples from the GEUVADIS Project of lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from the Toscani population, 15 of which were sequenced at one center and 15 at another19”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The Polyester-simulated RNA-seq data, with fragment GC dependence estimated from GEUVADIS samples, adequately represents real RNA-seq bias for sensitivity analysis.

    “we performed a sensitivity analysis using an RNA-seq fragment simulator, Polyester 28, to generate 30 samples with fragment GC content dependence estimated from the 30 GEUVADIS samples, after having removed read start sequence bias”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The expected mixing ratios in the ABRF dataset are accurate ground truth for assessing measurement accuracy.

    “The relationship of the samples in the ABRF dataset allowed an assessment of the measurement accuracy in terms of the methods’ recovery of expected mixing ratios”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The SEQC samples prepared at different sites are comparable except for library preparation location.

    “including libraries of the same samples that were prepared and sequenced at three different sites and libraries prepared at a separate site and only sequenced at the three sites”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The ABRF samples prepared with different protocols are comparable except for the protocol.

    “we downloaded a subset of samples from the ABRF Next-Generation Sequencing Study29 that were prepared using either ribosomal RNA depletion or poly-A selection”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The IVT transcripts with high unpredictable coverage are representative of transcripts affected by fragment sequence bias.

    “We focused our analysis on 64 of the IVT transcripts as exhibiting “high unpredictable coverage”17.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The poly-A selection protocol does not capture all non-coding transcripts.

    “as the poly-A selection protocol is not designed to capture all the non-coding transcripts”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The C and D samples in the ABRF dataset were made by mixing the A and B samples in 3:1 and 1:3 ratios, respectively.

    “As the C and D samples in the ABRF dataset were created by mixing 3:1 and 1:3 ratios of the A and B samples respectively”
8 of 8

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Citations

Cites

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Show all 39 references

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Patro, R., Duggal, G. & Kingsford, C. Accurate, fast, and model-aware transcript expression quantification with Salmon. bioRxiv (2015).

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Metadata

Authors
Love, M. I., Hogenesch, J. B., & Irizarry, R. A.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
Corresponding author
Irizarry, Rafael A
Venue
Nature Biotechnology
Published
2016-09-26
Volume
34
Issue
12
Pages
1287-1291
ISSN
  • 0733-222X (ISSN-L)
  • 1087-0156
  • 1546-1696
OpenAlex
W1897931464
Cited by
186
References
39
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 4
FWCI
9.18
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Biotechnology (publishedVersion)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH-R01, R01‐grant)
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA-D12AP00025, D12AP00025)
  • Advanced Research Projects Agency
  • National Human Genome Research Institute (R01HG005220)
  • National Cancer Institute (T32CA009337)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM083084)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS054794)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gene expression and cancer classification
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
Keywords
RNA-seq, transcript abundance estimation, GC content bias, Alpine, false positives
MeSH terms
Algorithms, Base Composition, Computer Simulation, Models, Genetic, RNA, Sensitivity and Specificity, Software, Transcription Factors, Reproducibility of Results, Models, Statistical, Artifacts, Sequence Analysis, RNA

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