Use of GenMAPP and MAPPFinder to analyse pathways involved in chickens infected with the protozoan parasite Eimeria

BACKGROUND: Microarrays allow genome-wide assays of gene expression. There is a need for user-friendly software to visualise and analyse these data. Analysing microarray data in the context of biological pathways is now common, and several tools exist. RESULTS: We describe the use of MAPPFinder, a component of GenMAPP to characterise the biological pathways affected in chickens infected with the protozoan parasite Eimeria. Several pathways were significantly affected based on the unadjusted p-value, including several immune-system pathways. CONCLUSION: GenMAPP/MAPPFinder provides a means to rapidly visualise pathways affected in microarray studies. However, it relies on good genome annotation and having genes reliably linked to pathway objects. We show that GenMAPP/MAPPFinder can produce useful results, and as the annotation of the chicken genome improves, so will the level of information gained.