r-GoMiner

In gene-expression microarray studies, for example, one generally obtains a list of dozens or hundreds of genes that differ in expression between samples and then asks 'What does all of this mean biologically?' Alternatively, gene lists can be derived conceptually in addition to experimentally. For instance, one might want to analyze a group of genes known as housekeeping genes. The work of the Gene Ontology (GO) Consortium <geneontology.org> provides a way to address that question. GO organizes genes into hierarchical categories based on biological process, molecular function and subcellular localization. The role of 'GoMiner' is to automate the mapping between a list of genes and GO, and to provide a statistical summary of the results as well as a visualization.