Source: https://github.com/markziemann/SurveyEnrichmentMethods

Intro

suppressPackageStartupMessages({
library("getDEE2")
library("DESeq2")
library("clusterProfiler")
library("org.Hs.eg.db")
library("mitch")
library("kableExtra")
library("eulerr")
})

In Kaumadi et al 2021 we showed that major problems plague functional enrichment analysis in many journal articles.

Here I will do my best to reproduce and replicate the findings of some studies. These were selected on the following criteria:

  • Included in the 2019 group that was studies in Kaumadi et al 2021.

  • Human study

  • RNA-seq gene expression

  • Performed DAVID gene set analysis

  • Provided gene list

From this subset, four studies were selected

Study Analytical issues
PMC6349697 Background
PMC6425008 Background, FDR
PMC6463127 Background, FDR
PMC6535219 Background

In this document I will be seeing if I can reproduce the same findings by using the same tool with the gene list provided in the article. Also I will correct the method wherever possible. This means using the correct background gene list, using FDR control and performing separate analysis of up and down-regulated gene lists.

The study examined in this document is PMC6463127: Chai et al, 2019.

The focus of this study is to compare the RNA expression profiles of parathyroid adenomas with normal parathyroid gland tissue. They found 247 differentially expressed genes; 45 up-regulated, 202 down-regulated.

They used DAVID for GO/KEGG analysis. They did not perform FDR correction of enrichment results.

Here are the upregulated and downregulated GO terms and the downregulated KEGG pathways. (Presuming there were no significantly upregulated KEGG pathways.)

orig1 <- read.table("PMC6463127_orig_up.tsv",header=TRUE,sep="\t")

orig1 %>% kbl(caption="upregulated GO terms shown in the article") %>% kable_paper("hover", full_width = F)
upregulated GO terms shown in the article
GOtype Category GO_Term_ID GO_Term_Count pvalue
BP GO:0006351 transcription, DNA-templated 14 <0.001
BP GO:0050684 regulation of mRNA processing 3 <0.001
BP GO:0006325 chromatin organization 3 0.004
BP GO:0045893 positive regulation of transcription, DNA-templated 6 0.005
BP GO:0018026 peptidyl-lysine monomethylation 2 0.017
BP GO:0006355 regulation of transcription, DNA-templated 8 0.038
CC GO:0005654 nucleoplasm 19 <0.001
CC GO:0005634 nucleus 26 <0.001
MF GO:0003676 nucleic acid binding 10 <0.001
MF GO:0003682 chromatin binding 6 0.002
MF GO:0003713 transcription coactivator activity 5 0.002
MF GO:0000166 nucleotide binding 5 0.008
MF GO:0003677 DNA binding 10 0.012
MF GO:0003690 double-stranded DNA binding 3 0.015
MF GO:0003729 mRNA binding 3 0.034
MF GO:0016279 protein-lysine N-methyltransferase activity 2 0.039
orig2 <- read.table("PMC6463127_orig_dn.tsv",header=TRUE,sep="\t")

orig2 %>% kbl(caption="down-regulated GO terms shown in the article") %>% kable_paper("hover", full_width = F)
down-regulated GO terms shown in the article
GOtype Category GO_Term_ID GO_Term_Count p.value
BP GO:0002474 antigen processing and presentation of peptide antigen via MHC class I 5 <0.001
BP GO:0061077 chaperone-mediated protein folding 5 <0.001
BP GO:0006465 signal peptide processing 4 0.002
BP GO:0006506 GPI anchor biosynthetic process 4 0.003
BP GO:0044829 positive regulation by host of viral genome replication 3 0.003
CC GO:0070062 extracellular exosome 79 <0.001
CC GO:0016020 membrane 64 <0.001
CC GO:0005789 endoplasmic reticulum membrane 36 <0.001
CC GO:0005783 endoplasmic reticulum 31 <0.001
CC GO:0042470 melanosome 12 <0.001
MF GO:0044822 poly(A) RNA binding 23 0.003
MF GO:0005515 protein binding 110 0.004
MF GO:0001540 beta-amyloid binding 4 0.005
MF GO:0019904 protein domain specific binding 8 0.006
MF GO:0051087 chaperone binding 5 0.01
orig3 <- read.table("PMC6463127_orig_keggdn.tsv",header=TRUE,sep="\t")

orig3 %>% kbl(caption="down-regulated KEGG pathways shown in the article") %>% kable_paper("hover", full_width = F)
down-regulated KEGG pathways shown in the article
Term_ID Term Count p.value Genes
hsa04141 Protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum 15 <0.001 SEC63, DNAJA1, EIF2AK1, XBP1, UGGT2, CANX, SEC61G, STT3A, PDIA6, HYOU1, SEC13, RPN1, PDIA3, CALR, BCAP31
hsa03060 Protein export 5 <0.001 SEC63, SPCS2, SEC61G, SEC11A, SEC11C
hsa03013 RNA transport 8 0.008 STRAP, XPO1, EIF3E, SUMO1, EIF2S3, NUP205, SEC13, RGPD2
hsa00563 Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor biosynthesis 3 0.043 PIGU, PIGG, PIGP
hsa00240 Pyrimidine metabolism 5 0.049 CTPS2, NT5C3A, NME7, POLR2H, DPYD

Try to reproduce

So let’s see if I can reproduce their result using DAVID without a background gene list. The study provided the differentially regulated gene lists in Table S2

Here are the significant GO terms for the up and down directions, along with the downregulated KEGG pathways.

repl1up <- read.table("PMC6463127_repl_up.tsv",header=TRUE,sep="\t")

repl1up %>% kbl(caption="Upregulated GO terms obtained using article gene list without background") %>% kable_paper("hover", full_width = F)
Upregulated GO terms obtained using article gene list without background
Category Term Count X. PValue List.Total Pop.Hits Pop.Total FoldEnrichment FDR
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006351~transcription, DNA-templated 14 30.4348 0.0001 37 1955 16792 3.250 0.012
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0050684~regulation of mRNA processing 3 6.5217 0.0002 37 9 16792 151.279 0.012
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006325~chromatin organization 3 6.5217 0.0038 37 43 16792 31.663 0.176
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0045893~positive regulation of transcription, DNA-templated 6 13.0435 0.0046 37 515 16792 5.287 0.176
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0018026~peptidyl-lysine monomethylation 2 4.3478 0.0170 37 8 16792 113.459 0.524
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006355~regulation of transcription, DNA-templated 8 17.3913 0.0380 37 1504 16792 2.414 0.976
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0022604~regulation of cell morphogenesis 2 4.3478 0.0523 37 25 16792 36.307 1.000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006357~regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter 4 8.6957 0.0679 37 441 16792 4.116 1.000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0009411~response to UV 2 4.3478 0.0863 37 42 16792 21.611 1.000
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005654~nucleoplasm 19 41.3043 0.0000 42 2784 18224 2.961 0.001
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005634~nucleus 26 56.5217 0.0000 42 5415 18224 2.083 0.001
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005813~centrosome 4 8.6957 0.0704 42 426 18224 4.074 1.000
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0016607~nuclear speck 3 6.5217 0.0750 42 201 18224 6.476 1.000
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003676~nucleic acid binding 10 21.7391 0.0003 40 985 16881 4.285 0.026
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003682~chromatin binding 6 13.0435 0.0020 40 391 16881 6.476 0.067
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003713~transcription coactivator activity 5 10.8696 0.0025 40 248 16881 8.509 0.067
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0000166~nucleotide binding 5 10.8696 0.0083 40 348 16881 6.064 0.165
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003677~DNA binding 10 21.7391 0.0124 40 1674 16881 2.521 0.198
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003690~double-stranded DNA binding 3 6.5217 0.0150 40 81 16881 15.631 0.200
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003729~mRNA binding 3 6.5217 0.0337 40 125 16881 10.129 0.385
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0016279~protein-lysine N-methyltransferase activity 2 4.3478 0.0386 40 17 16881 49.650 0.386
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003700~transcription factor activity, sequence-specific DNA binding 6 13.0435 0.0687 40 961 16881 2.635 0.611
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0018024~histone-lysine N-methyltransferase activity 2 4.3478 0.0863 40 39 16881 21.642 0.691
repl1dn <- read.table("PMC6463127_repl_dn.tsv",header=TRUE,sep="\t")

repl1dn %>% kbl(caption="Downregulated GO terms obtained using article gene list without background") %>% kable_paper("hover", full_width = F)
Downregulated GO terms obtained using article gene list without background
Category Term Count X. PValue List.Total Pop.Hits Pop.Total Fold.Enrichment FDR
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0002474~antigen processing and presentation of peptide antigen via MHC class I 5 2.4875622 0.0002874 182 30 16792 15.377289 0.3282420
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0061077~chaperone-mediated protein folding 5 2.4875622 0.0006532 182 37 16792 12.468072 0.3729583
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006465~signal peptide processing 4 1.9900498 0.0023792 182 25 16792 14.762198 0.7080755
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006506~GPI anchor biosynthetic process 4 1.9900498 0.0026683 182 26 16792 14.194421 0.7080755
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0044829~positive regulation by host of viral genome replication 3 1.4925373 0.0031002 182 8 16792 34.598901 0.7080755
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0036498~IRE1-mediated unfolded protein response 5 2.4875622 0.0037456 182 59 16792 7.818961 0.7129117
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0002576~platelet degranulation 6 2.9850746 0.0051479 182 103 16792 5.374587 0.8398473
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006888~ER to Golgi vesicle-mediated transport 7 3.4825871 0.0078089 182 160 16792 4.036538 0.9599597
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0034975~protein folding in endoplasmic reticulum 3 1.4925373 0.0083356 182 13 16792 21.291631 0.9599597
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0018279~protein N-linked glycosylation via asparagine 4 1.9900498 0.0090825 182 40 16792 9.226374 0.9599597
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0098609~cell-cell adhesion 9 4.4776119 0.0092465 182 271 16792 3.064109 0.9599597
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0050900~leukocyte migration 6 2.9850746 0.0103602 182 122 16792 4.537561 0.9704459
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0008543~fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling pathway 5 2.4875622 0.0118969 182 82 16792 5.625838 0.9704459
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006890~retrograde vesicle-mediated transport, Golgi to ER 5 2.4875622 0.0118969 182 82 16792 5.625838 0.9704459
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006457~protein folding 7 3.4825871 0.0134351 182 180 16792 3.588034 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006413~translational initiation 6 2.9850746 0.0164310 182 137 16792 4.040748 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006614~SRP-dependent cotranslational protein targeting to membrane 5 2.4875622 0.0187913 182 94 16792 4.907646 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006509~membrane protein ectodomain proteolysis 3 1.4925373 0.0231706 182 22 16792 12.581419 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0030433~ER-associated ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolic process 4 1.9900498 0.0269179 182 60 16792 6.150916 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0048208~COPII vesicle coating 4 1.9900498 0.0280917 182 61 16792 6.050081 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:1903298~negative regulation of hypoxia-induced intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway 2 0.9950249 0.0319914 182 3 16792 61.509158 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0019083~viral transcription 5 2.4875622 0.0330295 182 112 16792 4.118917 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0031647~regulation of protein stability 4 1.9900498 0.0398571 182 70 16792 5.272214 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0000184~nuclear-transcribed mRNA catabolic process, nonsense-mediated decay 5 2.4875622 0.0398897 182 119 16792 3.876628 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006611~protein export from nucleus 3 1.4925373 0.0412609 182 30 16792 9.226374 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0048205~COPI coating of Golgi vesicle 2 0.9950249 0.0424274 182 4 16792 46.131868 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006886~intracellular protein transport 7 3.4825871 0.0429208 182 236 16792 2.736636 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0016032~viral process 8 3.9800995 0.0436464 182 299 16792 2.468595 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0007030~Golgi organization 4 1.9900498 0.0457686 182 74 16792 4.987229 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0034976~response to endoplasmic reticulum stress 4 1.9900498 0.0473106 182 75 16792 4.920733 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0045454~cell redox homeostasis 4 1.9900498 0.0504707 182 77 16792 4.792921 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0001843~neural tube closure 4 1.9900498 0.0504707 182 77 16792 4.792921 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0035459~cargo loading into vesicle 2 0.9950249 0.0527515 182 5 16792 36.905495 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0045053~protein retention in Golgi apparatus 2 0.9950249 0.0527515 182 5 16792 36.905495 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0050821~protein stabilization 5 2.4875622 0.0596755 182 136 16792 3.392049 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0060323~head morphogenesis 2 0.9950249 0.0629648 182 6 16792 30.754579 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:1990000~amyloid fibril formation 2 0.9950249 0.0629648 182 6 16792 30.754579 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0042985~negative regulation of amyloid precursor protein biosynthetic process 2 0.9950249 0.0629648 182 6 16792 30.754579 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0003158~endothelium development 2 0.9950249 0.0629648 182 6 16792 30.754579 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0015031~protein transport 9 4.4776119 0.0646049 182 395 16792 2.102212 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0051262~protein tetramerization 3 1.4925373 0.0690317 182 40 16792 6.919780 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0060907~positive regulation of macrophage cytokine production 2 0.9950249 0.0730687 182 7 16792 26.361068 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006986~response to unfolded protein 3 1.4925373 0.0751574 182 42 16792 6.590267 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006874~cellular calcium ion homeostasis 4 1.9900498 0.0792352 182 93 16792 3.968333 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:1903071~positive regulation of ER-associated ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolic process 2 0.9950249 0.0830642 182 8 16792 23.065934 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006623~protein targeting to vacuole 2 0.9950249 0.0830642 182 8 16792 23.065934 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0030968~endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response 3 1.4925373 0.0846538 182 45 16792 6.150916 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0051028~mRNA transport 3 1.4925373 0.0911758 182 47 16792 5.889175 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0022417~protein maturation by protein folding 2 0.9950249 0.0929525 182 9 16792 20.503052 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0045047~protein targeting to ER 2 0.9950249 0.0929525 182 9 16792 20.503052 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0043030~regulation of macrophage activation 2 0.9950249 0.0929525 182 9 16792 20.503052 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0036500~ATF6-mediated unfolded protein response 2 0.9950249 0.0929525 182 9 16792 20.503052 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:2000146~negative regulation of cell motility 2 0.9950249 0.0929525 182 9 16792 20.503052 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0030148~sphingolipid biosynthetic process 3 1.4925373 0.0944905 182 48 16792 5.766483 1.0000000
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0070062~extracellular exosome 80 39.8009950 0.0000000 193 2811 18224 2.687296 0.0000000
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0016020~membrane 64 31.8407960 0.0000000 193 2200 18224 2.746905 0.0000000
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005789~endoplasmic reticulum membrane 37 18.4079602 0.0000000 193 862 18224 4.053040 0.0000000
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005783~endoplasmic reticulum 32 15.9203980 0.0000000 193 828 18224 3.649270 0.0000001
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0042470~melanosome 12 5.9701493 0.0000000 193 101 18224 11.218796 0.0000005
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005790~smooth endoplasmic reticulum 6 2.9850746 0.0000068 193 26 18224 21.790355 0.0003081
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0016021~integral component of membrane 79 39.3034826 0.0001564 193 5163 18224 1.444812 0.0060990
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0071556~integral component of lumenal side of endoplasmic reticulum membrane 5 2.4875622 0.0002307 193 29 18224 16.280150 0.0078743
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005925~focal adhesion 14 6.9651741 0.0002668 193 391 18224 3.380942 0.0080918
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005794~Golgi apparatus 21 10.4477612 0.0008047 193 863 18224 2.297708 0.0219676
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005829~cytosol 52 25.8706468 0.0024966 193 3315 18224 1.481174 0.0619600
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005788~endoplasmic reticulum lumen 8 3.9800995 0.0043038 193 192 18224 3.934370 0.0952707
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0033116~endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment membrane 5 2.4875622 0.0046363 193 64 18224 7.376943 0.0952707
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0030176~integral component of endoplasmic reticulum membrane 6 2.9850746 0.0048857 193 104 18224 5.447589 0.0952707
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0034663~endoplasmic reticulum chaperone complex 3 1.4925373 0.0057051 193 11 18224 25.752237 0.0981527
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005793~endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment 5 2.4875622 0.0057525 193 68 18224 6.943005 0.0981527
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005765~lysosomal membrane 9 4.4776119 0.0086876 193 274 18224 3.101547 0.1395126
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0000139~Golgi membrane 14 6.9651741 0.0100020 193 591 18224 2.236799 0.1516968
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0016324~apical plasma membrane 9 4.4776119 0.0121764 193 291 18224 2.920357 0.1698042
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0043202~lysosomal lumen 5 2.4875622 0.0124640 193 85 18224 5.554404 0.1698042
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005739~mitochondrion 24 11.9402985 0.0130619 193 1331 18224 1.702627 0.1698042
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005615~extracellular space 24 11.9402985 0.0148719 193 1347 18224 1.682403 0.1845465
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0012507~ER to Golgi transport vesicle membrane 4 1.9900498 0.0174343 193 52 18224 7.263452 0.2069375
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0030660~Golgi-associated vesicle membrane 3 1.4925373 0.0203314 193 21 18224 13.489267 0.2220194
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0000792~heterochromatin 3 1.4925373 0.0203314 193 21 18224 13.489267 0.2220194
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005771~multivesicular body 3 1.4925373 0.0222116 193 22 18224 12.876119 0.2277143
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0043209~myelin sheath 6 2.9850746 0.0225212 193 152 18224 3.727298 0.2277143
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0009986~cell surface 12 5.9701493 0.0288991 193 542 18224 2.090587 0.2817660
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005764~lysosome 7 3.4825871 0.0327285 193 226 18224 2.924664 0.3048380
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0043231~intracellular membrane-bounded organelle 12 5.9701493 0.0346087 193 558 18224 2.030642 0.3048380
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005769~early endosome 7 3.4825871 0.0346153 193 229 18224 2.886350 0.3048380
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0031012~extracellular matrix 8 3.9800995 0.0378166 193 296 18224 2.552023 0.3226225
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0016323~basolateral plasma membrane 6 2.9850746 0.0420509 193 180 18224 3.147496 0.3423692
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005887~integral component of plasma membrane 23 11.4427861 0.0426394 193 1415 18224 1.534821 0.3423692
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0045177~apical part of cell 4 1.9900498 0.0447568 193 75 18224 5.035993 0.3491032
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0032580~Golgi cisterna membrane 4 1.9900498 0.0462471 193 76 18224 4.969730 0.3507072
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0000932~cytoplasmic mRNA processing body 4 1.9900498 0.0493005 193 78 18224 4.842301 0.3637579
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005913~cell-cell adherens junction 8 3.9800995 0.0554097 193 323 18224 2.338697 0.3811091
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0019898~extrinsic component of membrane 4 1.9900498 0.0556946 193 82 18224 4.606091 0.3811091
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005802~trans-Golgi network 5 2.4875622 0.0558402 193 136 18224 3.471503 0.3811091
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0043234~protein complex 9 4.4776119 0.0705348 193 412 18224 2.062679 0.4645540
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0030137~COPI-coated vesicle 2 0.9950249 0.0714698 193 7 18224 26.978534 0.4645540
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0009897~external side of plasma membrane 6 2.9850746 0.0750769 193 213 18224 2.659855 0.4766513
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0014704~intercalated disc 3 1.4925373 0.0814291 193 45 18224 6.294991 0.5052305
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0044853~plasma membrane raft 2 0.9950249 0.0909399 193 9 18224 20.983304 0.5517021
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:1903561~extracellular vesicle 3 1.4925373 0.0974370 193 50 18224 5.665492 0.5729490
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0051082~unfolded protein binding 7 3.4825871 0.0010319 177 110 16881 6.069183 0.3694082
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0005515~protein binding 111 55.2238806 0.0031570 177 8785 16881 1.205053 0.4049901
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0044822~poly(A) RNA binding 23 11.4427861 0.0033938 177 1129 16881 1.942937 0.4049901
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0001540~beta-amyloid binding 4 1.9900498 0.0052581 177 34 16881 11.220339 0.4471162
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0019904~protein domain specific binding 8 3.9800995 0.0062446 177 208 16881 3.668188 0.4471162
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0051087~chaperone binding 5 2.4875622 0.0101924 177 81 16881 5.887215 0.5021017
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0031625~ubiquitin protein ligase binding 9 4.4776119 0.0105277 177 287 16881 2.990787 0.5021017
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0098641~cadherin binding involved in cell-cell adhesion 9 4.4776119 0.0112201 177 290 16881 2.959848 0.5021017
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0004576~oligosaccharyl transferase activity 2 0.9950249 0.0410596 177 4 16881 47.686441 1.0000000
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0005524~ATP binding 23 11.4427861 0.0625561 177 1495 16881 1.467275 1.0000000
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:1990247~N6-methyladenosine-containing RNA binding 2 0.9950249 0.0707502 177 7 16881 27.249395 1.0000000
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0005049~nuclear export signal receptor activity 2 0.9950249 0.0804425 177 8 16881 23.843220 1.0000000
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0004579~dolichyl-diphosphooligosaccharide-protein glycotransferase activity 2 0.9950249 0.0900343 177 9 16881 21.193974 1.0000000
repl1kegg <- read.table("PMC6463127_repl_kegg.tsv",header=TRUE,sep="\t")

repl1kegg %>% kbl(caption="Downregulated KEGG pathways obtained using article gene list without background") %>% kable_paper("hover", full_width = F)
Downregulated KEGG pathways obtained using article gene list without background
Category Term Count X. PValue List.Total Pop.Hits Pop.Total Fold.Enrichment FDR
KEGG_PATHWAY hsa04141:Protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum 15 7.462687 0.0000000 94 169 6879 6.495342 0.0000055
KEGG_PATHWAY hsa03060:Protein export 5 2.487562 0.0002277 94 23 6879 15.908881 0.0133206
KEGG_PATHWAY hsa03013:RNA transport 8 3.980100 0.0084305 94 172 6879 3.403761 0.3287904
KEGG_PATHWAY hsa00563:Glycosylphosphatidylinositol(GPI)-anchor biosynthesis 3 1.492537 0.0443501 94 25 6879 8.781702 1.0000000
KEGG_PATHWAY hsa00240:Pyrimidine metabolism 5 2.487562 0.0473992 94 101 6879 3.622814 1.0000000
KEGG_PATHWAY hsa04612:Antigen processing and presentation 4 1.990050 0.0831330 94 76 6879 3.851624 1.0000000

There is a supplement with all expressed genes (Supplementary Table S2) which I will use as a background. To get this to work, I will convert the gene symbols to Ensembl identifiers. There were only ~8000 expressed genes which is a bit low.

bgg <- readLines("PMC6463127_bgg.txt")
head(bgg)
## [1] "UBE2Q2" "ATRX"   "TCOF1"  "NSRP1"  "OPA1"   "ITGA8"
length(bgg)
## [1] 8090
geneinfo <- read.table("http://dee2.io/data/hsapiens/hsa_gene_info.tsv",header=TRUE)

bg <- geneinfo[which(geneinfo$GeneSymbol %in% bgg),"GeneID"]
bg <- bg[which(!is.na(bg))]
bg <- unique(bg)
length(bg)
## [1] 8261
writeLines(bg,"PMC6463127_bge.txt")

Try to reproduce with corrected background gene list

Then I ran DAVID again using the correct background. Here is the result of the upregulated genes.

repl2up <- read.table("PMC6463127_repl_up2.tsv",header=TRUE,sep="\t")

repl2up %>% kbl(caption="Upregulated GO terms obtained using article gene list with a background") %>% kable_paper("hover", full_width = F)
Upregulated GO terms obtained using article gene list with a background
Category Term Count X. PValue List.Total Pop.Hits Pop.Total Fold.Enrichment FDR
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006351~transcription, DNA-templated 14 30.434783 0.0003474 37 849 6549 2.918728 0.0538469
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0050684~regulation of mRNA processing 3 6.521739 0.0010324 37 9 6549 59.000000 0.0800125
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006325~chromatin organization 3 6.521739 0.0057779 37 21 6549 25.285714 0.2985260
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0045893~positive regulation of transcription, DNA-templated 6 13.043478 0.0091219 37 238 6549 4.462185 0.3534740
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0018026~peptidyl-lysine monomethylation 2 4.347826 0.0325444 37 6 6549 59.000000 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006355~regulation of transcription, DNA-templated 8 17.391304 0.0512985 37 627 6549 2.258373 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0022604~regulation of cell morphogenesis 2 4.347826 0.0895553 37 17 6549 20.823529 1.0000000
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0060070~canonical Wnt signaling pathway 2 4.347826 0.0995640 37 19 6549 18.631579 1.0000000
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005634~nucleus 26 56.521739 0.0005510 41 2500 6954 1.763942 0.0391184
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005654~nucleoplasm 19 41.304348 0.0013439 41 1569 6954 2.053910 0.0477071
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003676~nucleic acid binding 10 21.739130 0.0004760 40 407 6600 4.054054 0.0395119
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003682~chromatin binding 6 13.043478 0.0080209 40 214 6600 4.626168 0.3004610
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003713~transcription coactivator activity 5 10.869565 0.0108600 40 148 6600 5.574324 0.3004610
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0000166~nucleotide binding 5 10.869565 0.0201690 40 178 6600 4.634831 0.3479144
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003677~DNA binding 10 21.739130 0.0209587 40 715 6600 2.307692 0.3479144
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0016279~protein-lysine N-methyltransferase activity 2 4.347826 0.0292071 40 5 6600 66.000000 0.3836217
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003690~double-stranded DNA binding 3 6.521739 0.0323536 40 48 6600 10.312500 0.3836217
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003729~mRNA binding 3 6.521739 0.0788914 40 79 6600 6.265823 0.7593817
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0003700~transcription factor activity, sequence-specific DNA binding 6 13.043478 0.0823426 40 397 6600 2.493703 0.7593817
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0030145~manganese ion binding 2 4.347826 0.0959542 40 17 6600 19.411765 0.7964195
repl2dn <- read.table("PMC6463127_repl_dn2.tsv",header=TRUE,sep="\t")

repl2dn %>% kbl(caption="Downregulated GO terms obtained using article gene list with a background") %>% kable_paper("hover", full_width = F)
Downregulated GO terms obtained using article gene list with a background
Category Term Count X. PValue List.Total Pop.Hits Pop.Total Fold.Enrichment FDR
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0061077~chaperone-mediated protein folding 5 2.48756218905473 0.001516300935472 180 19 6549 9.57456140350877 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006465~signal peptide processing 4 1.99004975124378 0.002091265338259 180 10 6549 14.5533333333333 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0002474~antigen processing and presentation of peptide antigen via MHC class I 5 2.48756218905473 0.002684221501672 180 22 6549 8.26893939393939 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006506~GPI anchor biosynthetic process 4 1.99004975124378 0.003682368176522 180 12 6549 12.1277777777778 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0002576~platelet degranulation 6 2.98507462686567 0.009544239799516 180 48 6549 4.54791666666667 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0018279~protein N-linked glycosylation via asparagine 4 1.99004975124378 0.010294624191692 180 17 6549 8.56078431372549 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0044829~positive regulation by host of viral genome replication 3 1.49253731343284 0.010365483557096 180 6 6549 18.1916666666667 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0036498~IRE1-mediated unfolded protein response 5 2.48756218905473 0.01189211624059 180 33 6549 5.51262626262626 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0034975~protein folding in endoplasmic reticulum 3 1.49253731343284 0.014252421785821 180 7 6549 15.5928571428571 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0050900~leukocyte migration 6 2.98507462686567 0.015466993846307 180 54 6549 4.04259259259259 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006509~membrane protein ectodomain proteolysis 3 1.49253731343284 0.028940194386034 180 10 6549 10.915 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0008543~fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling pathway 5 2.48756218905473 0.03366821498868 180 45 6549 4.04259259259259 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006888~ER to Golgi vesicle-mediated transport 7 3.48258706467662 0.043182440703185 180 94 6549 2.70939716312057 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0030148~sphingolipid biosynthetic process 3 1.49253731343284 0.047551493070601 180 13 6549 8.39615384615385 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006898~receptor-mediated endocytosis 5 2.48756218905473 0.049851420767272 180 51 6549 3.56699346405229 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006486~protein glycosylation 4 1.99004975124378 0.051565964241758 180 31 6549 4.69462365591398 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0046135~pyrimidine nucleoside catabolic process 2 0.99502487562189 0.053921833370183 180 2 6549 36.3833333333333 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:1903298~negative regulation of hypoxia-induced intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway 2 0.99502487562189 0.053921833370183 180 2 6549 36.3833333333333 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006611~protein export from nucleus 3 1.49253731343284 0.061783100473787 180 15 6549 7.27666666666667 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0030433~ER-associated ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolic process 4 1.99004975124378 0.06473405193018 180 34 6549 4.28039215686275 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0048208~COPII vesicle coating 4 1.99004975124378 0.06473405193018 180 34 6549 4.28039215686275 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006890~retrograde vesicle-mediated transport, Golgi to ER 5 2.48756218905473 0.0660802396374 180 56 6549 3.2485119047619 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006457~protein folding 7 3.48258706467662 0.072115803486644 180 107 6549 2.38021806853583 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0007283~spermatogenesis 8 3.98009950248756 0.076014012970454 180 135 6549 2.15604938271605 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0060907~positive regulation of macrophage cytokine production 2 0.99502487562189 0.079788335863835 180 3 6549 24.2555555555556 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0048205~COPI coating of Golgi vesicle 2 0.99502487562189 0.079788335863835 180 3 6549 24.2555555555556 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0060323~head morphogenesis 2 0.99502487562189 0.079788335863835 180 3 6549 24.2555555555556 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0042985~negative regulation of amyloid precursor protein biosynthetic process 2 0.99502487562189 0.079788335863835 180 3 6549 24.2555555555556 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:1990000~amyloid fibril formation 2 0.99502487562189 0.079788335863835 180 3 6549 24.2555555555556 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0001843~neural tube closure 4 1.99004975124378 0.084425030786951 180 38 6549 3.82982456140351 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0031647~regulation of protein stability 4 1.99004975124378 0.089704619119023 180 39 6549 3.73162393162393 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006874~cellular calcium ion homeostasis 4 1.99004975124378 0.089704619119023 180 39 6549 3.73162393162393 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0006810~transport 7 3.48258706467662 0.094363198891799 180 115 6549 2.21463768115942 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0010951~negative regulation of endopeptidase activity 4 1.99004975124378 0.095119139763482 180 40 6549 3.63833333333333 1
GOTERM_BP_DIRECT GO:0055114~oxidation-reduction process 10 4.97512437810945 0.096297131545988 180 200 6549 1.81916666666667 1
Category Term Count % PValue List Total Pop Hits Pop Total Fold Enrichment FDR
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005789~endoplasmic reticulum membrane 36 17.910447761194 5.18600202099025E-13 191 315 6954 4.16095736724009 1.46763857194024E-10
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0070062~extracellular exosome 79 39.3034825870647 5.83737688084654E-12 191 1369 6954 2.10099472615392 8.25988828639785E-10
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0016020~membrane 64 31.8407960199005 3.82161832432916E-09 191 1124 6954 2.0730748448883 3.60505995261718E-07
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0016021~integral component of membrane 78 38.8059701492537 6.16342444655258E-09 191 1541 6954 1.84286398646422 4.36062279593595E-07
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005783~endoplasmic reticulum 31 15.4228855721393 2.58620942152547E-08 191 357 6954 3.16151172510889 1.46379453258342E-06
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0042470~melanosome 12 5.97014925373134 1.98794384552135E-07 191 55 6954 7.9436458829129 9.37646847137571E-06
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005790~smooth endoplasmic reticulum 6 2.98507462686567 6.84157771985112E-05 191 17 6954 12.8500153988297 0.002765952135311
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005887~integral component of plasma membrane 23 11.4427860696517 0.000616529701599 191 379 6954 2.20947934078382 0.021809738194058
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0071556~integral component of lumenal side of endoplasmic reticulum membrane 5 2.48756218905473 0.00151655120228 191 19 6954 9.58115183246073 0.045266698723216
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005615~extracellular space 24 11.9402985074627 0.00159952999022 191 434 6954 2.0133664680194 0.045266698723216
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005788~endoplasmic reticulum lumen 8 3.98009950248756 0.002028783742832 191 66 6954 4.41313660161828 0.052195072656502
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0033116~endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment membrane 5 2.48756218905473 0.005038697420568 191 26 6954 7.00161095449054 0.118829280835062
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005794~Golgi apparatus 21 10.4477611940299 0.008967844208267 191 414 6954 1.84680173002504 0.188779515460879
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0016324~apical plasma membrane 9 4.47761194029851 0.010214170577938 191 110 6954 2.97886720609234 0.188779515460879
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0030660~Golgi-associated vesicle membrane 3 1.49253731343284 0.010360970919022 191 6 6954 18.2041884816754 0.188779515460879
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005793~endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment 5 2.48756218905473 0.010673046810509 191 32 6954 5.68880890052356 0.188779515460879
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0034663~endoplasmic reticulum chaperone complex 3 1.49253731343284 0.018656204213232 191 8 6954 13.6531413612565 0.300504043611152
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0000139~Golgi membrane 14 6.96517412935323 0.019113331395762 191 250 6954 2.03886910994764 0.300504043611152
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0009986~cell surface 12 5.97014925373134 0.022225286658766 191 202 6954 2.16287387901094 0.318098424365239
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005925~focal adhesion 14 6.96517412935323 0.022750880621066 191 256 6954 1.99108311518325 0.318098424365239
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005765~lysosomal membrane 9 4.47761194029851 0.023604476719682 191 128 6954 2.5599640052356 0.318098424365239
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0043202~lysosomal lumen 5 2.48756218905473 0.026922203942072 191 42 6954 4.33433059087509 0.341098862933122
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0009897~external side of plasma membrane 6 2.98507462686567 0.028285532364902 191 63 6954 3.46746447270007 0.341098862933122
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005771~multivesicular body 3 1.49253731343284 0.028927112050866 191 10 6954 10.9225130890052 0.341098862933122
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0030176~integral component of endoplasmic reticulum membrane 5 2.48756218905473 0.03131526984236 191 44 6954 4.13731556401713 0.35448885461551
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0032580~Golgi cisterna membrane 4 1.99004975124378 0.03289908091304 191 26 6954 5.60128876359243 0.358093842245784
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0000792~heterochromatin 3 1.49253731343284 0.047529470029043 191 13 6954 8.40193314538864 0.478885341810709
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0016323~basolateral plasma membrane 6 2.98507462686567 0.048735221298123 191 73 6954 2.99246933945349 0.478885341810709
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005764~lysosome 7 3.48258706467662 0.049073056227953 191 97 6954 2.62740864683975 0.478885341810709
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0031090~organelle membrane 3 1.49253731343284 0.054475923680904 191 14 6954 7.80179506357517 0.513889546723193
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005886~plasma membrane 50 24.8756218905473 0.073754428250327 191 1477 6954 1.23251106849529 0.656669092817492
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0012507~ER to Golgi transport vesicle membrane 4 1.99004975124378 0.074252335583603 191 36 6954 4.04537521815009 0.656669092817492
GOTERM_CC_DIRECT GO:0005769~early endosome 7 3.48258706467662 0.097358105059117 191 116 6954 2.19705723054703 0.83491950702212
Category Term Count % PValue List Total Pop Hits Pop Total Fold Enrichment FDR
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0001540~beta-amyloid binding 4 1.99004975124378 0.004239029699521 175 13 6600 11.6043956043956 1
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0051082~unfolded protein binding 7 3.48258706467662 0.010013545360428 175 70 6600 3.77142857142857 1
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0051087~chaperone binding 5 2.48756218905473 0.022127904591892 175 41 6600 4.5993031358885 1
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0019904~protein domain specific binding 8 3.98009950248756 0.037273359782583 175 119 6600 2.53541416566627 1
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0031625~ubiquitin protein ligase binding 9 4.47761194029851 0.041344973173309 175 148 6600 2.29343629343629 1
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0030246~carbohydrate binding 5 2.48756218905473 0.041992305737711 175 50 6600 3.77142857142857 1
GOTERM_MF_DIRECT GO:0008236~serine-type peptidase activity 3 1.49253731343284 0.065110296796912 175 16 6600 7.07142857142857 1
repl2kegg <- read.table("PMC6463127_repl_kegg2.tsv",header=TRUE,sep="\t")

repl2kegg %>% kbl(caption="Downregulated KEGG pathways obtained using article gene list with a background") %>% kable_paper("hover", full_width = F)
Downregulated KEGG pathways obtained using article gene list with a background
Category Term Count X. PValue Genes List.Total Pop.Hits Pop.Total Fold.Enrichment Bonferroni Benjamini FDR
KEGG_PATHWAY hsa04141:Protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum 15 7.462687 0.0000000 PDIA3, BCAP31, XBP1, SEC13, EIF2AK1, RPN1, PDIA6, DNAJA1, SEC61G, CANX, STT3A, HYOU1, CALR, UGGT2, SEC63 94 169 6879 6.495342 0.0000055 0.0000055 0.0000055
KEGG_PATHWAY hsa03060:Protein export 5 2.487562 0.0002277 SPCS2, SEC61G, SEC11A, SEC11C, SEC63 94 23 6879 15.908881 0.0262925 0.0133206 0.0133206
KEGG_PATHWAY hsa03013:RNA transport 8 3.980100 0.0084305 SEC13, NUP205, EIF2S3, XPO1, SUMO1, STRAP, EIF3E, RGPD2 94 172 6879 3.403761 0.6286286 0.3287904 0.3287904
KEGG_PATHWAY hsa00563:Glycosylphosphatidylinositol(GPI)-anchor biosynthesis 3 1.492537 0.0443501 PIGU, PIGP, PIGG 94 25 6879 8.781702 0.9950459 1.0000000 1.0000000
KEGG_PATHWAY hsa00240:Pyrimidine metabolism 5 2.487562 0.0473992 NT5C3A, NME7, DPYD, CTPS2, POLR2H 94 101 6879 3.622814 0.9965914 1.0000000 1.0000000
KEGG_PATHWAY hsa04612:Antigen processing and presentation 4 1.990050 0.0831330 PDIA3, CD74, CANX, CALR 94 76 6879 3.851624 0.9999611 1.0000000 1.0000000

What about a replication using an R script

Here I’m using the enrichGO function to analyse the data. The algorithm is slightly different and the gene sets might be a different version. First GO biological processes.

# from supp table 2
upg <- readLines("PMC6463127_up.txt")
dng <- readLines("PMC6463127_dn.txt")

upe <- geneinfo[which(geneinfo$GeneSymbol %in% upg),"GeneID"]
dne <- geneinfo[which(geneinfo$GeneSymbol %in% dng),"GeneID"]

# up
go_up <- enrichGO(gene = upe,  keyType = "ENSEMBL", universe = bg,
    OrgDb = org.Hs.eg.db, ont = "ALL", pAdjustMethod = "BH", pvalueCutoff  = 0.05,
    qvalueCutoff  = 1, readable = TRUE)

go_up <- data.frame(go_up)
nrow(go_up)
## [1] 9
go_up <- subset(go_up,qvalue<0.05)
nrow(go_up)
## [1] 9
go_up[,c(1,3:7)] %>% kbl(caption="Upregulated GO terms obtained using clusterProfiler with the correct background") %>% kable_paper("hover", full_width = F)
Upregulated GO terms obtained using clusterProfiler with the correct background
ONTOLOGY Description GeneRatio BgRatio pvalue p.adjust
GO:0000137 CC Golgi cis cisterna 3/43 19/7347 0.0001695 0.0169537
GO:0018024 MF histone-lysine N-methyltransferase activity 3/41 26/7074 0.0004284 0.0192526
GO:0016278 MF lysine N-methyltransferase activity 3/41 29/7074 0.0005948 0.0192526
GO:0016279 MF protein-lysine N-methyltransferase activity 3/41 29/7074 0.0005948 0.0192526
GO:0042054 MF histone methyltransferase activity 3/41 30/7074 0.0006582 0.0192526
GO:0000977 MF RNA polymerase II transcription regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding 9/41 486/7074 0.0015283 0.0339253
GO:0008276 MF protein methyltransferase activity 3/41 43/7074 0.0018989 0.0339253
GO:0008170 MF N-methyltransferase activity 3/41 44/7074 0.0020297 0.0339253
GO:0000987 MF cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding 8/41 429/7074 0.0027810 0.0406717
# dn
go_dn <- enrichGO(gene = dne,  keyType = "ENSEMBL", universe = bg,
    OrgDb = org.Hs.eg.db, ont = "ALL", pAdjustMethod = "BH", pvalueCutoff  = 0.05,
    qvalueCutoff  = 1, readable = TRUE)

go_dn <- data.frame(go_dn)
nrow(go_dn)
## [1] 50
go_dn <- subset(go_dn,qvalue<0.05)
nrow(go_dn)
## [1] 50
go_dn[,c(1,3:7)] %>% kbl(caption="Downregulated GO terms obtained using clusterProfiler with the correct background") %>% kable_paper("hover", full_width = F)
Downregulated GO terms obtained using clusterProfiler with the correct background
ONTOLOGY Description GeneRatio BgRatio pvalue p.adjust
GO:0006643 BP membrane lipid metabolic process 12/195 72/7108 0.0000005 0.0007070
GO:0034976 BP response to endoplasmic reticulum stress 17/195 151/7108 0.0000007 0.0007070
GO:1901135 BP carbohydrate derivative metabolic process 31/195 437/7108 0.0000008 0.0007070
GO:0006664 BP glycolipid metabolic process 7/195 35/7108 0.0000368 0.0190877
GO:1903509 BP liposaccharide metabolic process 7/195 35/7108 0.0000368 0.0190877
GO:0002576 BP platelet degranulation 9/195 62/7108 0.0000422 0.0190877
GO:0035966 BP response to topologically incorrect protein 12/195 117/7108 0.0000797 0.0308871
GO:0055080 BP cation homeostasis 19/195 266/7108 0.0001167 0.0395827
GO:0098771 BP inorganic ion homeostasis 19/195 270/7108 0.0001421 0.0428423
GO:0042175 CC nuclear outer membrane-endoplasmic reticulum membrane network 50/198 454/7347 0.0000000 0.0000000
GO:0005789 CC endoplasmic reticulum membrane 49/198 446/7347 0.0000000 0.0000000
GO:0098827 CC endoplasmic reticulum subcompartment 49/198 448/7347 0.0000000 0.0000000
GO:0140534 CC endoplasmic reticulum protein-containing complex 14/198 74/7347 0.0000000 0.0000007
GO:0042470 CC melanosome 12/198 59/7347 0.0000000 0.0000023
GO:0048770 CC pigment granule 12/198 59/7347 0.0000000 0.0000023
GO:0030667 CC secretory granule membrane 16/198 130/7347 0.0000003 0.0000176
GO:0030176 CC integral component of endoplasmic reticulum membrane 12/198 80/7347 0.0000013 0.0000569
GO:0031227 CC intrinsic component of endoplasmic reticulum membrane 12/198 84/7347 0.0000022 0.0000862
GO:0030659 CC cytoplasmic vesicle membrane 24/198 320/7347 0.0000046 0.0001641
GO:0016324 CC apical plasma membrane 14/198 125/7347 0.0000059 0.0001935
GO:0031301 CC integral component of organelle membrane 16/198 164/7347 0.0000078 0.0002144
GO:0012506 CC vesicle membrane 24/198 330/7347 0.0000078 0.0002144
GO:0031300 CC intrinsic component of organelle membrane 16/198 173/7347 0.0000154 0.0003933
GO:0098576 CC lumenal side of membrane 6/198 23/7347 0.0000244 0.0005834
GO:0045177 CC apical part of cell 15/198 161/7347 0.0000262 0.0005868
GO:0005793 CC endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment 9/198 63/7347 0.0000420 0.0008842
GO:0030141 CC secretory granule 24/198 378/7347 0.0000727 0.0014454
GO:0005798 CC Golgi-associated vesicle 7/198 42/7347 0.0001125 0.0019690
GO:0071556 CC integral component of lumenal side of endoplasmic reticulum membrane 5/198 19/7347 0.0001155 0.0019690
GO:0098553 CC lumenal side of endoplasmic reticulum membrane 5/198 19/7347 0.0001155 0.0019690
GO:0033116 CC endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment membrane 6/198 31/7347 0.0001489 0.0024236
GO:0031226 CC intrinsic component of plasma membrane 27/198 486/7347 0.0002406 0.0037456
GO:0005887 CC integral component of plasma membrane 26/198 464/7347 0.0002769 0.0041297
GO:0005788 CC endoplasmic reticulum lumen 11/198 122/7347 0.0004247 0.0060822
GO:0005768 CC endosome 24/198 431/7347 0.0005287 0.0072802
GO:0005790 CC smooth endoplasmic reticulum 4/198 16/7347 0.0007221 0.0093833
GO:0099503 CC secretory vesicle 24/198 441/7347 0.0007339 0.0093833
GO:0098552 CC side of membrane 14/198 206/7347 0.0012922 0.0159514
GO:0000139 CC Golgi membrane 19/198 335/7347 0.0016595 0.0198039
GO:0098554 CC cytoplasmic side of endoplasmic reticulum membrane 3/198 10/7347 0.0020114 0.0232284
GO:0098590 CC plasma membrane region 23/198 453/7347 0.0023749 0.0265688
GO:0042827 CC platelet dense granule 3/198 12/7347 0.0035435 0.0373112
GO:0044322 CC endoplasmic reticulum quality control compartment 3/198 12/7347 0.0035435 0.0373112
GO:0030660 CC Golgi-associated vesicle membrane 4/198 25/7347 0.0041515 0.0424641
GO:0098791 CC Golgi apparatus subcompartment 20/198 395/7347 0.0047031 0.0467693
GO:0000323 CC lytic vacuole 17/198 318/7347 0.0052886 0.0498238
GO:0005764 CC lysosome 17/198 318/7347 0.0052886 0.0498238
GO:1904680 MF peptide transmembrane transporter activity 5/189 16/7074 0.0000444 0.0159612
GO:0042887 MF amide transmembrane transporter activity 5/189 18/7074 0.0000833 0.0159612
GO:0008509 MF anion transmembrane transporter activity 11/189 113/7074 0.0002002 0.0255593

Now KEGG analysis but need to convert to entrez first

dn_entrez <- unlist(mget(dne, org.Hs.egENSEMBL2EG, ifnotfound = NA))

bg_entrez <- unlist(mget(bg, org.Hs.egENSEMBL2EG, ifnotfound = NA))


kegg <- enrichKEGG(gene = dn_entrez, universe = bg_entrez,
    organism = "hsa", pAdjustMethod = "BH", pvalueCutoff  = 0.05,
    qvalueCutoff  = 1)
## Reading KEGG annotation online:
## 
## Reading KEGG annotation online:
kegg <- as.data.frame(kegg)

kegg[,c(2:7)] %>% kbl(caption="Clusterprofiler KEGG results obtained using the correct background") %>% kable_paper("hover", full_width = F)
Clusterprofiler KEGG results obtained using the correct background
Description GeneRatio BgRatio pvalue p.adjust qvalue
hsa04141 Protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum 15/107 112/3405 0.0000013 0.0001956 0.0001918
hsa03060 Protein export 5/107 17/3405 0.0001278 0.0093268 0.0091453

Are the conclusions of the study supported?

In the article, they obtained 45 upregulated and 78 downregulated GO terms, along with 5 downregulated KEGG pathways.

The authors don’t specifically draw any conclusions from the enrichment analysis, but let the reader come to their own conclusions on the basis of the results tables presented.

Anyway, we can look at whether the top results were confirmed with a corrected method.

I repeated the analysis without a background and received the same upregulated GO terms as the article (16 terms with p<0.05), but of these, only 5 gave an FDR<0.05.

When a correct background gene list was used, only 2 GOs were upregulated with FDR<0.05. Basically, there were no significantly upregulated GO BP or MF terms when using a correct background and FDR control. Using a clusterProfiler script, I got 9 upregulated GOs, 8 of which were different to the DAVID results.

Session information

sessionInfo()
## R version 4.1.2 (2021-11-01)
## Platform: x86_64-pc-linux-gnu (64-bit)
## Running under: Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS
## 
## Matrix products: default
## BLAS:   /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/blas/libblas.so.3.9.0
## LAPACK: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lapack/liblapack.so.3.9.0
## 
## locale:
##  [1] LC_CTYPE=en_AU.UTF-8       LC_NUMERIC=C              
##  [3] LC_TIME=en_AU.UTF-8        LC_COLLATE=en_AU.UTF-8    
##  [5] LC_MONETARY=en_AU.UTF-8    LC_MESSAGES=en_AU.UTF-8   
##  [7] LC_PAPER=en_AU.UTF-8       LC_NAME=C                 
##  [9] LC_ADDRESS=C               LC_TELEPHONE=C            
## [11] LC_MEASUREMENT=en_AU.UTF-8 LC_IDENTIFICATION=C       
## 
## attached base packages:
## [1] parallel  stats4    stats     graphics  grDevices utils     datasets 
## [8] methods   base     
## 
## other attached packages:
##  [1] eulerr_6.1.1                kableExtra_1.3.4           
##  [3] mitch_1.4.1                 org.Hs.eg.db_3.13.0        
##  [5] AnnotationDbi_1.54.1        clusterProfiler_4.0.5      
##  [7] DESeq2_1.32.0               SummarizedExperiment_1.22.0
##  [9] Biobase_2.52.0              MatrixGenerics_1.4.3       
## [11] matrixStats_0.61.0          GenomicRanges_1.44.0       
## [13] GenomeInfoDb_1.28.4         IRanges_2.26.0             
## [15] S4Vectors_0.30.2            BiocGenerics_0.38.0        
## [17] getDEE2_1.2.0              
## 
## loaded via a namespace (and not attached):
##   [1] shadowtext_0.0.9       fastmatch_1.1-3        systemfonts_1.0.3     
##   [4] plyr_1.8.6             igraph_1.2.8           lazyeval_0.2.2        
##   [7] splines_4.1.2          BiocParallel_1.26.2    ggplot2_3.3.5         
##  [10] digest_0.6.28          yulab.utils_0.0.4      htmltools_0.5.2       
##  [13] GOSemSim_2.18.1        viridis_0.6.2          GO.db_3.13.0          
##  [16] fansi_0.5.0            magrittr_2.0.1         memoise_2.0.0         
##  [19] Biostrings_2.60.2      annotate_1.70.0        graphlayouts_0.7.1    
##  [22] svglite_2.0.0          enrichplot_1.12.3      colorspace_2.0-2      
##  [25] rvest_1.0.2            blob_1.2.2             ggrepel_0.9.1         
##  [28] xfun_0.28              dplyr_1.0.7            crayon_1.4.2          
##  [31] RCurl_1.98-1.5         jsonlite_1.7.2         scatterpie_0.1.7      
##  [34] genefilter_1.74.1      survival_3.2-13        ape_5.5               
##  [37] glue_1.5.0             polyclip_1.10-0        gtable_0.3.0          
##  [40] zlibbioc_1.38.0        XVector_0.32.0         webshot_0.5.2         
##  [43] htm2txt_2.1.1          DelayedArray_0.18.0    scales_1.1.1          
##  [46] DOSE_3.18.3            DBI_1.1.1              GGally_2.1.2          
##  [49] Rcpp_1.0.7             viridisLite_0.4.0      xtable_1.8-4          
##  [52] gridGraphics_0.5-1     tidytree_0.3.6         bit_4.0.4             
##  [55] htmlwidgets_1.5.4      httr_1.4.2             fgsea_1.18.0          
##  [58] gplots_3.1.1           RColorBrewer_1.1-2     ellipsis_0.3.2        
##  [61] pkgconfig_2.0.3        reshape_0.8.8          XML_3.99-0.8          
##  [64] farver_2.1.0           sass_0.4.0             locfit_1.5-9.4        
##  [67] utf8_1.2.2             ggplotify_0.1.0        tidyselect_1.1.1      
##  [70] rlang_0.4.12           reshape2_1.4.4         later_1.3.0           
##  [73] munsell_0.5.0          tools_4.1.2            cachem_1.0.6          
##  [76] downloader_0.4         generics_0.1.1         RSQLite_2.2.8         
##  [79] evaluate_0.14          stringr_1.4.0          fastmap_1.1.0         
##  [82] yaml_2.2.1             ggtree_3.0.4           knitr_1.36            
##  [85] bit64_4.0.5            tidygraph_1.2.0        caTools_1.18.2        
##  [88] purrr_0.3.4            KEGGREST_1.32.0        ggraph_2.0.5          
##  [91] nlme_3.1-153           mime_0.12              aplot_0.1.1           
##  [94] xml2_1.3.2             DO.db_2.9              rstudioapi_0.13       
##  [97] compiler_4.1.2         beeswarm_0.4.0         png_0.1-7             
## [100] treeio_1.16.2          tibble_3.1.6           tweenr_1.0.2          
## [103] geneplotter_1.70.0     bslib_0.3.1            stringi_1.7.5         
## [106] highr_0.9              lattice_0.20-45        Matrix_1.3-4          
## [109] vctrs_0.3.8            pillar_1.6.4           lifecycle_1.0.1       
## [112] jquerylib_0.1.4        data.table_1.14.2      cowplot_1.1.1         
## [115] bitops_1.0-7           httpuv_1.6.3           patchwork_1.1.1       
## [118] qvalue_2.24.0          R6_2.5.1               promises_1.2.0.1      
## [121] KernSmooth_2.23-20     echarts4r_0.4.2        gridExtra_2.3         
## [124] gtools_3.9.2           MASS_7.3-54            assertthat_0.2.1      
## [127] GenomeInfoDbData_1.2.6 grid_4.1.2             ggfun_0.0.4           
## [130] tidyr_1.1.4            rmarkdown_2.11         ggforce_0.3.3         
## [133] shiny_1.7.1