CanIsoNet beta-version: A Database to Study the Functional Impact of Isoform Switching Events in Cancer

Zurich Seminars in Bioinformatics - Tülay Karakulak

  • 12:15 UZH Irchel Y55-l-06/08 and ZOOM Call

Alternative splicing, as an essential regulatory mechanism in normal mammalian cells, is frequently disturbed in cancer. Switches in the expression of alternative isoforms can alter protein interaction networks of associated genes giving rise to cancer progression and metastases. We have recently analyzed the pathogenic impact of switching events in 1209 cancer samples covering 27 different cancer types.

In this talk, I will present CanIsoNet (Cancer Isoform specific interaction Network), a database to view, browse and search these isoform switching events. CanIsoNet is the first webserver that incorporates isoform expression data with STRING interaction networks and COSMIC annotations to predict the pathogenic impact of isoform switching events in various cancer types. Data in CanIsoNet can be browsed by cancer types or searched by genes or isoforms in annotation rich data tables. Various annotations for 11,041 isoforms and 31,748 unique isoform switching events are provided across 27 cancer types, including proximity information to COSMIC cancer census genes, network density data for each cancer-specific isoform, PFAM domain IDs of disrupted interactions, domain structure visualization of transcripts and expression data of switched isoforms for each sample.

CanIsoNet is freely available at caniso.net under a Creative Common License. The source codes can be found at github.com/KarakulakTulay.