GO, KEGG, GSEA analysis with ~5 DEGs

Question

[foejvs546]

Hi friends,

Does it make sense to do pathway analysis if there are only 5 DEGs?

Thanks!

[Shred]

Which is the experimental design?

[foejvs546]

Hi Shred ,

Treated vs untreated cells, 3 replicates each

Answer 1

[Istvan Albert]

If multiple genes indicate functions that should not occur multiple times by chance alone then that is the answer.

A single gene can provide functional interpretation after all.

But you are correct in being cautious - when you have few genes, the answers can be quite unreliable.