Skip to main content
Log in

Normalizing cancer RNA-seq data for library size, tumor purity and batch effects

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

From Nature Biotechnology

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Accurate identification and effective removal of unwanted variation is essential to derive meaningful biological results from large and complex RNA-seq studies. Technical replicates together with negative and positive control genes are key tools for carrying out this task. We show how to proceed when technical replicates are unavailable.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1: RUV-III-PRPS improves normalization of TCGA RNA-seq data.

References

  1. Gauss, C. F. & Stewart, G. W. Theory of the combination of observations least subject to errors, Part One, Part Two, Supplement. Classics in Applied Mathematics https://doi.org/10.1137/1.9781611971248 (SIAM, 1995). English translation of Gauss’s classic 1823 work in which, amongst much else, systematic errors are noted.

  2. Ku, H. H. Precision Measurement and Calibration. Volume 1. Statistical Concepts and Procedures (National Bureau of Standards, 1969). A collection of papers dealing with random and systematic errors in the context of the art and science of measurement.

  3. Leek, J. T. et al. Tackling the widespread and critical impact of batch effects in high-throughput data. Nat. Rev. Genet. 11, 733–739 (2010). A review article whose title says it all.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Molania, R. et al. A new normalization for Nanostring nCounter gene expression data. Nucleic Acids Res. 47, 6073–6083 (2019). This paper presents RUV-III and includes some examples using technical replicates and others using pseudo-replicates.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Vallejos, C. A. et al. Normalizing single-cell RNA sequencing data: challenges and opportunities. Nat. Methods 14, 565–571 (2017). A critical review of the task of normalization in the context of single cell RNA-seq, with much relevance to bulk RNA-seq.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Molania, R. et al. Removing unwanted variation from large-scale RNA sequencing data with PRPS. Nat. Biotechnol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01440-w (2022)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Normalizing cancer RNA-seq data for library size, tumor purity and batch effects. Nat Biotechnol 41, 27–28 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01441-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01441-9

  • Springer Nature America, Inc.

Navigation