Analysis of the Human Tissue-specific Expression by Genome-wide Integration of Transcriptomics and Antibody-based Proteomics

TLDR

Global classification of human proteins by spatial expression patterns across organs and tissues is essential for studies of human biology and disease. The authors launched a new version of the Human Protein Atlas that integrates RNA‑seq and antibody‑based proteomics data for ~80 % of protein‑coding genes, providing primary data at the individual gene level. They combined quantitative RNA‑seq transcriptomics with antibody‑based proteomics across major human organs and tissues, integrating the results into the updated Atlas release. The integrative expression map classifies all protein‑coding genes by tissue‑specificity and spatial pattern, offering a resource for exploring the molecular constituents of the human body.

Abstract

Global classification of the human proteins with regards to spatial expression patterns across organs and tissues is important for studies of human biology and disease. Here, we used a quantitative transcriptomics analysis (RNA-Seq) to classify the tissue-specific expression of genes across a representative set of all major human organs and tissues and combined this analysis with antibody-based profiling of the same tissues. To present the data, we launch a new version of the Human Protein Atlas that integrates RNA and protein expression data corresponding to ∼80% of the human protein-coding genes with access to the primary data for both the RNA and the protein analysis on an individual gene level. We present a classification of all human protein-coding genes with regards to tissue-specificity and spatial expression pattern. The integrative human expression map can be used as a starting point to explore the molecular constituents of the human body.