Differential Profile (DiffProf)
A Differential Profile (DiffProf) is the core data unit in integMET. It represents a biological contrast between two sample groups, together with the metabolite changes observed.
What is a DiffProf?
A DiffProf captures a specific biological comparison:
- Group A (reference) vs. Group B (condition of interest)
- Which metabolites changed significantly
- The direction and magnitude of each change
Each DiffProf represents a biological event or contrast — such as disease onset, treatment effect, or developmental change — expressed through metabolite changes.
DiffProf Fields
Basic Information
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| DiffProf ID | Unique identifier (e.g., MTBLS10_0001_00000005) |
| Study ID | Parent study this DiffProf belongs to |
| Title | Comparison name (e.g., Control_vs_HIAE) |
| Group A | Reference group name and description |
| Group B | Condition group name and description |
Statistical Parameters
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Features | Number of metabolites tested |
| Significant Features | Number of metabolites showing significant change |
| p-value Threshold | Statistical significance cutoff (e.g., 0.05) |
| Ratio Threshold | Fold-change cutoff for significance (e.g., >1.5 or <1/1.5) |
Significant Metabolites (Top Hits)
Each significant metabolite includes:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Metabolite ID | InChIKey identifier |
| Ratio | Fold-change between Group B and Group A |
| p-value | Statistical significance |
| Direction | up (increased in Group B) or down (decreased in Group B) |
Example
DiffProf: MTBLS103_0001_00000001
Title: Control_vs_HIAE
Group A: Control group with no HIAE condition
Group B: Group with HIAE condition
Total Features: 9
Significant Features: 6
p-value Threshold: 0.05
Top Hits:
- methionine sulfoxide: ratio=0.37, p=3.7e-06, down
- glutamylglycine: ratio=0.51, p=1.2e-06, down
- Valyl-Glutamate: ratio=0.45, p=4.2e-05, down
- L-glutamate: ratio=0.62, p=3.7e-05, down
Understanding Direction
- up: Metabolite level is higher in Group B than Group A
- down: Metabolite level is lower in Group B than Group A
The ratio indicates the magnitude:
- ratio = 2.0 means Group B has 2× the level of Group A
- ratio = 0.5 means Group B has half the level of Group A
Relationship to Studies and Metabolites
Study (MTBLS103)
└── DiffProf (Control_vs_HIAE)
├── Metabolite: methionine sulfoxide (down)
├── Metabolite: glutamylglycine (down)
└── ...
- Each DiffProf belongs to exactly one Study
- Each DiffProf contains multiple Metabolites with their fold-changes
- The same Metabolite can appear in many DiffProfs across different Studies