Comprehensive benchmark of differential transcript usage analysis for static and dynamic conditions

bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Jan 15:2024.01.14.575548. doi: 10.1101/2024.01.14.575548.

Abstract

RNA sequencing offers unique insights into transcriptome diversity, and a plethora of tools have been developed to analyze alternative splicing. One important task is to detect changes in the relative transcript abundance in differential transcript usage (DTU) analysis. The choice of the right analysis tool is non-trivial and depends on experimental factors such as the availability of single- or paired-end and bulk or single-cell data. To help users select the most promising tool for their task, we performed a comprehensive benchmark of DTU detection tools. We cover a wide array of experimental settings, using simulated bulk and single-cell RNA-seq data as well as real transcriptomics datasets, including time-series data. Our results suggest that DEXSeq, edgeR, and LimmaDS are better choices for paired-end data, while DSGseq and DEXSeq can be used for single-end data. In single-cell simulation settings, we showed that satuRn performs better than DTUrtle. In addition, we showed that Spycone is optimal for time series DTU/IS analysis based on the evidence provided using GO terms enrichment analysis.

Publication types

  • Preprint

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Technical University Munich – Institute for Advanced Study, funded by the German Excellence Initiative. This work was supported in part by the Intramural Research Programs (IRPs) of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). JB was partially funded by his VILLUM Young Investigator Grant nr.13154. Partly funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – 422216132. This work was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the framework of the *e:Med* research and funding concept (*grants 01ZX1908A / 01ZX2208A* and *grants 01ZX1910D / 01ZX2210D*). This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 777111. This publication reflects only the author’s view, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.