A guide to using MapMan to visualize and compare Omics data in plants: a case study in the crop species, Maize

MapMan is a software tool that supports the visualization of profiling data sets in the context of existing knowledge. Scavenger modules generate hierarchical and essentially non-redundant gene ontologies ('mapping files'). An ImageAnnotator module visualizes the data on a gene-by-gene basis on schematic diagrams ('maps') of biological processes. The PageMan module uses the same ontologies to statistically evaluate responses at the pathway or processes level. The generic structure of MapMan also allows it to be used for transcripts, proteins, enzymes and metabolites. MapMan was developed for use with Arabidopsis, but has already been extended for use with several other species. These tools are available as downloadable and web-based versions. After providing an introduction to the scope and use of MapMan, we present a case study where MapMan is used to analyse the transcriptional response of the crop plant maize to diurnal changes and an extension of the night. We then explain how MapMan can be customized to visually and systematically compare responses in maize and Arabidopsis. These analyses illustrate how MapMan can be used to analyse and compare global transcriptional responses between phylogenetically distant species, and show that analyses at the level of functional categories are especially useful in cross-species comparisons.