Systematic Multi-Omics Integration (MOI) Approach in Plant Systems Biology

Area of Science:

• Plant Systems Biology
• Multi-omics Integration
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• High-throughput data generation facilitates multi-omics research across biology.
• Individual omics data (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) offer limited insights.
• Multi-omics integration (MOI) is crucial for comprehensive data assimilation and modeling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide methodological guidelines for multi-omics integration (MOI) in plants.
• To classify existing plant multi-omics studies and verify integration workflows.
• To propose a tiered framework for MOI in plant systems biology.

Main Methods:

• Classification of plant multi-omics studies.
• Verification of omics data integration workflows.
• Proposal of three distinct levels of MOI: element-based, pathway-based, and mathematical-based.

Main Results:

• A systematic classification of plant multi-omics studies is presented.
• Three practical levels of MOI are proposed, detailed with current tools and publications.
• Drawbacks and limitations of current MOI strategies in plants are discussed.

Conclusions:

• Effective MOI in plants requires specific methodological guidelines due to unique biological complexities.
• The proposed three-level MOI framework offers a structured approach for plant systems biology research.
• Addressing current limitations will pave the way for more advanced and amenable plant multi-omics strategies.