CommPath

CommPath prioritizes pathway-mediated ligand-receptor (LR) interactions and infers downstream signaling effects to analyze cell-cell communication from single-cell transcriptomic data.

Key Features:

• Functional Prioritization of LR Interactions: Prioritizes ligand-receptor (LR) interactions based on their functional relevance to eliciting biological responses in receiver cells.
• Comprehensive Signaling Pathway Database: Integrates a curated signaling pathway database to interpret downstream consequences of LR associations.
• Cell-Communication Chain Analysis: Determines cell-cell communication chains by tracing upstream and downstream cells within user-defined populations.
• Application in Disease Contexts: Detects alterations in LR interactions and communication chains between disease states and homeostasis, demonstrated on a human hepatocellular carcinoma dataset.

Scientific Applications:

• Single-Cell Transcriptomics: Analyzes heterogeneity and intercellular signaling using single-cell transcriptomic data.
• Disease Research: Characterizes changes in intercellular communication between diseased and healthy states to inform studies of disease mechanisms.
• Biological Response Analysis: Identifies functionally relevant LR associations to examine how specific interactions influence receiver-cell biological responses.

Methodology:

Integrates single-cell transcriptomic data with a curated signaling pathway database to infer functional LR interactions, determine communication chains by considering upstream and downstream cells within defined populations, and visualize communication chains.