Modifier-class {RNAmodR} | R Documentation

## The Modifier class

### Description

The `Modifier` class is a virtual class, which provides the central functionality to search for post-transcriptional RNA modification patterns in high throughput sequencing data.

Each subclass has to implement the following functions:

- Slot `nucleotide`: Either "RNA" or "DNA". For conveniance the subclasses `RNAModifier` and `DNAModifier` are already available and can be inherited from.

- Function `aggregateData`: used for specific data aggregation

- Function `findMod`: used for specific search for modifications

Optionally the function `settings<-` can be implemented to store additional arguments, which the base class does not recognize.

`Modifier` objects are constructed centrally by calling `Modifier()` with a `className` matching the specific class to be constructed. This will trigger the immediate analysis, if `find.mod` is not set to `FALSE`.

### Usage

    Modifier(className, x, annotation, sequences, seqinfo, ...)

    ## S4 method for signature 'SequenceData'
    Modifier(
      className,
      x,
      annotation = NULL,
      sequences = NULL,
      seqinfo = NULL,
      ...
    )

    ## S4 method for signature 'SequenceDataSet'
    Modifier(
      className,
      x,
      annotation = NULL,
      sequences = NULL,
      seqinfo = NULL,
      ...
    )

    ## S4 method for signature 'SequenceDataList'
    Modifier(
      className,
      x,
      annotation = NULL,
      sequences = NULL,
      seqinfo = NULL,
      ...
    )

    ## S4 method for signature 'character'
    Modifier(
      className,
      x,
      annotation = NULL,
      sequences = NULL,
      seqinfo = NULL,
      ...
    )

    ## S4 method for signature 'list'
    Modifier(
      className,
      x,
      annotation = NULL,
      sequences = NULL,
      seqinfo = NULL,
      ...
    )

    ## S4 method for signature 'BamFileList'
    Modifier(
      className,
      x,
      annotation = NULL,
      sequences = NULL,
      seqinfo = NULL,
      ...
    )

### Arguments

`className` | The name of the class which should be constructed.
`x` | the input which can be of the following types `SequenceData`: a single `SequenceData` or a list containing only `SequenceData` objects. The input will just be used to file the `data` slot of the `Modifier` and must match the requirements of specific `Modifier` class. `BamFileList`: a named `BamFileList` `character`: a `character` vector, which must be coercible to a named `BamFileList` referencing existing bam files. Valid names are `control` and `treated` to define conditions and replicates
`annotation` | annotation data, which must match the information contained in the BAM files. This parameter is only required if `x` is not a `SequenceData` object or a list of `SequenceData` objects.
`sequences` | sequences matching the target sequences the reads were mapped onto. This must match the information contained in the BAM files. TThis parameter is only required if `x` is not a `SequenceData` object or a list of `SequenceData` objects.
`seqinfo` | An optional `Seqinfo` argument or character vector, which can be coerced to one, to subset the sequences to be analyzed on a per chromosome basis.
`...` | Additional otpional parameters: `find.mod`: `TRUE` or `FALSE`: should the search for for modifications be triggered upon construction? If not the search can be started by calling the `modify()` function. additional parameters depending on the specific `Modifier` class All additional options must be named and will be passed to the `settings` function and onto the `SequenceData` objects, if `x` is not a `SequenceData` object or a list of `SequenceData` objects.

### Value

a `Modifier` object of type `className`

### Slots

`nucleotide`

  a `character` value, which needs to contain "RNA" or "DNA"

`mod`

  a `character` value, which needs to contain one or more elements from the alphabet of a `ModRNAString` or `ModDNAString` class.

`score`

  the main score identifier used for visualizations

`dataType`

  the class name(s) of the `SequenceData` class used

`bamfiles`

  the input bam files as `BamFileList`

`condition`

  conditions along the `BamFileList`: Either `control` or `treated`

`replicate`

  replicate number along the `BamFileList` for each of the condition types.

`data`

  The sequence data object: Either a `SequenceData`, `SequenceDataSet` or a `SequenceDataList` object, if more than one `dataType` is used.

`aggregate`

  the aggregated data as a `SplitDataFrameList`

`modifications`

  the found modifications as a `GRanges` object

`settings`

  arguments used for the analysis as a `list`

`aggregateValidForCurrentArguments`

  `TRUE` or `FALSE` whether the aggregate data was constructed with the current arguments

`modificationsValidForCurrentArguments`

  `TRUE` or `FALSE` whether the modifications were found with the current arguments

### Creation

`Modifier` objects can be created in two ways, either by providing a list of bamfiles or `SequenceData`/`SequenceDataSet`/`SequenceDataList` objects, which match the structure in `dataType()`.

`dataType()` can be a `character` vector or a `list` of `character` vectors and depending on this the input files have to follow this structure:

- a single `character`: a `SequenceData` is constructed/expected.

- a `character` vector: a `SequenceDataSet` is constructed/expected.

- a `list` of `character` vectors: a `SequenceDataList` is constructed/expected.

The cases for a `SequenceData` or `SequenceDataSet` are straight forward, since the input remains the same. The last case is special, since it is a hypothetical option, in which bam files from two or more different methods have to be combined to reliably detect a single modification (The elements of a `SequenceDataList` don't have to be created from the bamfiles, whereas from a `SequenceDataSet` they have to be).

For this example a `list` of `character` vectors is expected. Each element must be named according to the names of `dataType()` and contain a `character` vector for creating a `SequenceData` object.

All additional options must be named and will be passed to the `settings` function and onto the `SequenceData` objects, if `x` is not a `SequenceData` object or a list of `SequenceData` objects.

[Package RNAmodR version 1.0.2 Index]