Malachite: A Gene Enrichment Meta-Analysis (GEM) Tool for ToppGene

BackgroundResearchers commonly use online tools such as ToppGene to conduct enrichment analyses on gene expression data. This process does not easily allow multiple gene data sets to be analyzed and compared at once. ToppGene requires the user to manually enter gene symbols or other gene identifiers into a text box and to manually sift through forms with many adjustable parameters in order to obtain a downloadable text file of results. This process makes the analysis of multiple sets of genes tedious, time-consuming, and error prone. To address this problem, we developed Malachite, a Python package that enables researchers to perform gene enrichment analyses on multiple gene lists and concatenate the resulting enrichment statistics. In this way, Malachite enables meta-enrichment analyses across multiple data sets.\n\nResultsTo illustrate its use, we applied Malachite to three data sets from the Gene Expression Omnibus comparing gene expression in the large airways of smokers and non-smokers. Biological processes enriched in all three data sets were related to xenobiotic stimulus; molecular functions typically involved nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) activity.\n\nConclusionMalachite enables researchers to automate gene enrichment metaanalyses using ToppGene. Malachite also enhances ToppGenes gene set analysis of drug-gene relationships by further filtering for FDA approved drugs.