interaction_model {MethReg} | R Documentation

## Fits linear models with interaction to triplet data (Target, TF, DNAm), where DNAm is a binary variable (samples in Q1 or Q4)

### Description

Evaluates regulatory potential of DNA methylation (DNAm) on gene expression, by fitting robust linear model or zero inflated negative binomial model to triplet data. These models consist of terms to model direct effect of DNAm on target gene expression, direct effect of TF on gene expression, as well as an interaction term that evaluates the synergistic effect of DNAm and TF on gene expression.

### Usage

    interaction_model(
      triplet,
      dnam,
      exp,
      cores = 1,
      tf.activity.es = NULL,
      sig.threshold = 0.05,
      fdr = TRUE,
      filter.correlated.tf.exp.dnam = TRUE,
      filter.correlated.target.exp.dnam = TRUE,
      filter.triplet.by.sig.term = TRUE,
      stage.wise.analysis = TRUE,
      verbose = FALSE
    )

### Arguments

`triplet` | Data frame with columns for DNA methylation region (regionID), TF (TF), and target gene (target)
`dnam` | DNA methylation matrix or SummarizedExperiment object (columns: samples in the same order as `exp` matrix, rows: regions/probes)
`exp` | A matrix or SummarizedExperiment object object (columns: samples in the same order as `dnam`, rows: genes represented by ensembl IDs (e.g. ENSG00000239415))
`cores` | Number of CPU cores to be used. Default 1.
`tf.activity.es` | A matrix with normalized enrichment scores for each TF across all samples to be used in linear models instead of TF gene expression. See `get_tf_ES`.
`sig.threshold` | Threshold to filter significant triplets. Select if interaction.pval < 0.05 or pval.dnam <0.05 or pval.tf < 0.05 in binary model
`fdr` | Uses fdr when using sig.threshold. Select if interaction.fdr < 0.05 or fdr.dnam <0.05 or fdr.tf < 0.05 in binary model
`filter.correlated.tf.exp.dnam` | If wilcoxon test of TF expression Q1 and Q4 is significant (pvalue < 0.05), triplet will be removed.
`filter.correlated.target.exp.dnam` | If wilcoxon test of target expression Q1 and Q4 is not significant (pvalue > 0.05), triplet will be removed.
`filter.triplet.by.sig.term` | Filter significant triplets ? Select if interaction.pval < 0.05 or pval.dnam <0.05 or pval.tf < 0.05 in binary model
`stage.wise.analysis` | A boolean indicating if stagewise analysis should be performed to correct for multiple comparisons. If set to FALSE FDR analysis is performed.
`verbose` | A logical argument indicating if messages output should be provided.

### Details

This function fits the linear model

`log2(RNA target) ~ log2(TF) + DNAm + log2(TF) * DNAm`

to triplet data as follow:

Model by considering `DNAm` as a binary variable - we defined a binary group for DNA methylation values (high = 1, low = 0). That is, samples with the highest DNAm levels (top 25 percent) has high = 1, samples with lowest DNAm levels (bottom 25 percent) has high = 0. Note that in this implementation, only samples with DNAm values in the first and last quartiles are considered.

In these models, the term `log2(TF)` evaluates direct effect of TF on target gene expression, `DNAm` evaluates direct effect of DNAm on target gene expression, and `log2(TF)*DNAm` evaluates synergistic effect of DNAm and TF, that is, if TF regulatory activity is modified by DNAm.

There are two implementations of these models, depending on whether there are an excessive amount (i.e. more than 25 percent) of samples with zero counts in RNAseq data:

- When percent of zeros in RNAseq data is less than 25 percent, robust linear models are implemented using `rlm` function from `MASS` package. This gives outlier gene expression values reduced weight. We used `"psi.bisqure"` option in function `rlm` (bisquare weighting, https://stats.idre.ucla.edu/r/dae/robust-regression/).

- When percent of zeros in RNAseq data is more than 25 percent, zero inflated negative binomial models are implemented using `zeroinfl` function from `pscl` package. This assumes there are two processes that generated zeros (1) one where the counts are always zero (2) another where the count follows a negative binomial distribution.

To account for confounding effects from covariate variables, first use the `get_residuals` function to obtain RNA or DNAm residual values which have covariate effects removed, then fit interaction model. Note that no log2 transformation is needed when `interaction_model` is applied to residuals data.

Note that only triplets with TF expression not significantly different in high vs. low methylation groups will be evaluated (Wilcoxon test, p > 0.05).

### Value

A dataframe with `Region, TF, target, TF_symbo, target_symbol, estimates and P-values`, after fitting robust linear models or zero-inflated negative binomial models (see Details above).

Model considering DNAm values as a binary variable generates `quant_pval_metGrp`, `quant_pval_rna.tf`, `quant_pval_metGrp.rna.tf`, `quant_estimates_metGrp`, `quant_estimates_rna.tf`, `quant_estimates_metGrp.rna.tf`.

`Model.interaction` indicates which model (robust linear model or zero inflated model) was used to fit Model 1, and `Model.quantile` indicates which model(robust linear model or zero inflated model) was used to fit Model 2.

### Examples

    library(dplyr)
    dnam <- runif(20,min = 0,max = 1) %>%
      matrix(ncol = 1) %>%  t
    rownames(dnam) <- c("chr3:203727581-203728580")
    colnames(dnam) <- paste0("Samples",1:20)

    exp.target <-  runif(20,min = 0,max = 10) %>%
      matrix(ncol = 1) %>%  t
    rownames(exp.target) <- c("ENSG00000232886")
    colnames(exp.target) <- paste0("Samples",1:20)

    exp.tf <- runif(20,min = 0,max = 10) %>%
      matrix(ncol = 1) %>%  t
    rownames(exp.tf) <- c("ENSG00000232888")
    colnames(exp.tf) <- paste0("Samples",1:20)

    exp <- rbind(exp.tf, exp.target)

    triplet <- data.frame(
       "regionID" =  c("chr3:203727581-203728580"),
       "target" = "ENSG00000232886",
       "TF" = "ENSG00000232888"
    )
    results <- interaction_model(
       triplet,
       dnam,
       exp,
       stage.wise.analysis = FALSE,
       sig.threshold = 1,
       filter.correlated.tf.exp.dnam = FALSE,
       filter.correlated.target.exp.dnam = FALSE,
       filter.triplet.by.sig.term = FALSE
    )

[Package MethReg version 1.4.0 Index]