StAT Example

StAT Navigation

StAT Example

When a researcher has a long list of genes to analyze, as is frequently the case with the results from a library or gene chip experiment, the time and effort involved in examining the literature can be significant. StAT allows the researcher to quickly search and analyze the literature concerning a gene in an effective manner. For example, consider the protein Zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein (ZAG) for which MEDLINE has 59 abstracts. The researcher could examine these abstracts individually, a time consuming and tedious task. StAT speeds up the review process by quickly identifying a ranked list of the key sentences and most important abstracts for the user.

Input:

The query above is parsed by the StAT processor and passed to MEDLINE as;

               "zinc alpha-2 glycoprotein" OR (zag NOT zig)

In our ZAG example, the researcher learns that ZAG is a ubiquitous serum protein, that it has a non-peptidic MHC like binding groove and that an X-ray crystal structure is available, all without reviewing the entire body of publications.

Ranked Sentences:

Score	Link to Marked Abstract	Key Sentence
4355 272	0010376801	Zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein (Znalpha2gp) is a soluble major histocompatibility complex homolog widespread in body fluids and in glandular epithelia; the authors recently demonstrated its presence in stratified epithelia.
4252 354	0009328826	Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein (Zn alpha 2gp) is almost ubiquitous in body fluids, and its antibody labels the corresponding secretory epithelia.
4250 250	0010206894	The 2.8 angstrom crystal structure of ZAG resembles a class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) heavy chain, but ZAG does not bind the class I light chain beta2-microglobulin.

Score

Link to Marked Abstract

Key Sentence

4355
272

0010376801

Zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein (Znalpha2gp) is a soluble major 
histocompatibility complex homolog widespread in body fluids 
and in glandular epithelia; the authors recently demonstrated 
its presence in stratified epithelia.

4252
354

0009328826

Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein (Zn alpha 2gp) is almost ubiquitous 
in body fluids, and its antibody labels the corresponding 
secretory epithelia.

4250
250

0010206894

The 2.8 angstrom crystal structure of ZAG resembles a class I 
major histocompatibility complex (MHC) heavy chain, but ZAG 
does not bind the class I light chain beta2-microglobulin.

Marked Abstracts:

>0010206894
Crystal structure of human ZAG, a fat-depleting factor related to MHC 
molecules. Zn-alpha2-glycoprotein (ZAG) is a soluble protein that is 
present in serum and other body fluids. ZAG stimulates lipid degradation 
in adipocytes and causes the extensive fat losses associated with some 
advanced cancers. The 2.8 angstrom crystal structure of ZAG resembles a 
class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) heavy chain, but ZAG does 
not bind the class I light chain beta2-microglobulin. The ZAG structure 
includes a large groove analogous to class I MHC peptide binding grooves. 
Instead of a peptide, the ZAG groove contains a non-peptidic compound that 
may be implicated in lipid catabolism under normal or pathological conditions.

The StAT results include links back to the original MEDLINE records. In just a few minutes, the researcher can make an informed decision on the merits of a given gene for further research.