Combining gene expression and function in a spatially localized approach

The integration of gene expression datasets with gene function information provides valuable insights in unraveling the molecular mechanisms of the brain. In this paper, gene expression maps, acquired by the technique of voxelation, are analyzed using an atlas-based framework and the extracted spatial information is employed to organize genes in significant clusters. Gene function enrichment analysis of clusters enabled exploration of the relationships among brain regions, gene expression and gene function. In addition, the analysis revealed new function categories, for example biological process for the gene Pbx3, cellular component and biological process for the gene Ppplrlb. Our work confirms the hypothesis that genes of similar spatial expression patterns display similar functions indicating that our methodology could assist in the function identification of unannotated genes.