The networked partial correlation and its application to the analysis of genetic interactions. Issue 3 (6th July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Roverato, Alberto; Castelo, Robert
• Is Part Of: Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Volume 66:Issue 3(2017:May)
• Page Start: 647
• Page End: 665
• Publication Date: 2016-07-06
• Subjects: Concentration matrix -- Covariance decomposition -- Gene coexpression -- Partial correlation -- Undirected graphical model; Statistics -- Periodicals; 519.5
• DOI: 10.1111/rssc.12166
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0035-9254

Abstract

Summary: Genetic interactions confer robustness on cells in response to genetic perturbations. This often occurs through molecular buffering mechanisms that can be predicted by using, among other features, the degree of coexpression between genes, which is commonly estimated through marginal measures of association such as Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficients. However, marginal correlations are sensitive to indirect effects and often partial correlations are used instead. Yet, partial correlations convey no information about the (linear) influence of the coexpressed genes on the entire multivariate system, which may be crucial to discriminate functional associations from genetic interactions. To address these two shortcomings, here we propose to use the edge weight derived from the covariance decomposition over the paths of the associated gene network. We call this new quantity the networked partial correlation and use it to analyse genetic interactions in yeast.