GeneNet Toolbox for MATLAB: a flexible platform for the analysis of gene connectivity in biological networks.
Taylor A., Steinberg J., Andrews TS., Webber C.
SUMMARY: We present GeneNet Toolbox for MATLAB (also available as a set of standalone applications for Linux). The toolbox, available as command-line or with a graphical user interface, enables biologists to assess connectivity among a set of genes of interest ('seed-genes') within a biological network of their choosing. Two methods are implemented for calculating the significance of connectivity among seed-genes: 'seed randomization' and 'network permutation'. Options include restricting analyses to a specified subnetwork of the primary biological network, and calculating connectivity from the seed-genes to a second set of interesting genes. Pre-analysis tools help the user choose the best connectivity-analysis algorithm for their network. The toolbox also enables visualization of the connections among seed-genes. GeneNet Toolbox functions execute in reasonable time for very large networks (∼10 million edges) on a desktop computer. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: GeneNet Toolbox is open source and freely available from http://avigailtaylor.github.io/gntat14. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. CONTACT: avigail.taylor@dpag.ox.ac.uk.