Comprehensive Guide of Epigenetics and Transcriptomics Data Quality Control

Host response to environmental exposures such as pathogens and chemicals can cause modifications to the epigenome and transcriptome. Analysis of these modifications can reveal signatures with regards to the agent and timing of exposure. Exhaustive interrogation of the cascade of the epigenome and transcriptome requires analysis of disparate datasets from multiple assay types, often at single cell resolution, from the same biospecimen. Improved signature discovery has been enabled by advancements in assaying techniques to detect RNA expression, DNA base modifications, histone modifications, and chromatin accessibility. However, there remains a paucity of rigorous quality control standards of those datasets that reflect quality assurance of the underlying assay. This guide outlines a comprehensive suite of metrics that can be used to ensure quality from 11 different epigenetics and transcriptomics assays. Recommendations on mitigation approaches to address failed metrics and poor quality data are provided. The workflow consists of assessing dataset quality and reiterating benchwork protocols for improved results to generate accurate exposure signatures.