Driver genes and top 10/20/etc DEGs

Question

[dew]

Dear all,

Is the driver genes the same as the top DEGs in RNAseq? The aim is to identify the early drivers that initiate the disease phenotype.

Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

[ATpoint]

No, a driver is whatever drives a phenotype. It can be something regulated on the post-transcriptional or post-translational level having downstream effects, so in theory all you see in RNA-seq could be consequence and the actual cause is not reflected in the transcriptome. It is now on you to interpret results with your scientific domain knowledge of the model system you use to figure out what is going on and whether it is relevant for the phenotype.

[dew]

Thanks a lot!