Peer Review History
| Original SubmissionJune 15, 2020 |
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PONE-D-20-18308 PhotoModPlus: A web server for photosynthetic protein prediction from genome neighborhood features PLOS ONE Dear Dr. Ruengjitchatchawalya, Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process. The reviewers have raised some critical concerns that should be addressed. 1) The structure and flow of the manuscript should be re-organised. 2) The method should be compared with other existing methods and the reasons behind the outperformance should be justified. 3) More technical details should be added to improve the clarity and readability of the manuscript. Please submit your revised manuscript by Feb 07 2021 11:59PM. If you will need more time than this to complete your revisions, please reply to this message or contact the journal office at plosone@plos.org. When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file. Please include the following items when submitting your revised manuscript:
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Reviewers' comments: Reviewer's Responses to Questions Comments to the Author 1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions? The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented. Reviewer #1: Yes Reviewer #2: Yes ********** 2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? Reviewer #1: Yes Reviewer #2: Yes ********** 3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available? The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified. Reviewer #1: Yes Reviewer #2: Yes ********** 4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English? PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here. Reviewer #1: Yes Reviewer #2: Yes ********** 5. Review Comments to the Author Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters) Reviewer #1: The paper presents a web server, namely PhotoModPlus, that offers three main functionalities; (1) constructing a machine learning model using the previously published PhotoMod algorithm, (2) predicting sub-functional classes of a photosynthetic function using a novel machine learning algorithm called PhotoModGO, and (3) generating and visualizing a genome neighborhood network (GNN) using a module called PhotoModGNN. After providing a quick context on the importance of identifying genes and proteins relevant to photosynthesis, the manuscript offers an overview of the existing efforts and challenges in correctly classifying photosynthetic proteins; the main challenge being the impact of the increased diversity / evolutionary distance to the algorithms that rely on sequence features for classification (two of these methods, BLAST and DeepGOPlus, where used as a comparison). The article continues with an overview of the different methods and their respective implementations, and concludes with some results on selected species. Overall it's an interesting work, but there are a few points that may be worth re-assessing - The main issue is that the manuscript has a rather convoluted structure, thus hindering the readers' understanding, as it requires multiple passes in order to get a clear picture. One suggestion would be to include in the "Methods" section both of the different methods described ("PhotoModGO development" and "PhotoModGNN development") including the data collection sections, and add a new subsection on "Implementation" that could include the "PhotoModPlus web server implementation" and possibly also the "PhotoModPlus web server demonstration". The "Results" section could then incorporate the "Baseline comparison methods" and "Evaluation" as the initial subsections, so that there is a clear connection to the corresponding results. However, this is only a suggestion; any coherent re-structuring, that is better aligned to the message to be conveyed, would work equally well. - The definition of genome neighborhood profiles seems quite similar to that of the phylogenetic profiles (https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.96.8.4285) - or rather generalized version of them (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0052854) - with a main challenge being that they require sufficient data (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0114701), as well as they are rather sensitive to noise. If there is indeed a similarity, it would be crucial to establish what the effect of these aspects might be to the outcomes of the PhotoModGO algorithm. If not, it would be useful to clarify what the difference might be, especially given the fact that the underlying technique in both of them is sequence-based similarity using BLAST. - The distinction between the original PhotoMod and the newly proposed PhotoModGO algorithm is not very clear. It is understood that PhotoMod can construct a binary (single-class) model, whereas PhotoModGO is more of a workflow that "wraps" around RelieF-ML and Random Forests in order to produce prediction models of the various photosynthesis-related GO terms. If that is the case, it should be clearly stated as such, in order to avoid confusion between the two different stages. If not, the corresponding section should be rephrased in order to clarify the message. In any case, a clear outline of the PhotoModGO method (ideally in the form of a pseudo-code) would be useful to provide additional clarity. Moreover, it should be clarified whether PhotoModGO can be used in place of PhotoMod (for the binary classification) as well. - An additional point here is to clarify which types of Gene Ontology terms were used in the retrieval process; given that there are three distinct term trees (Molecular Function, Biological Process, and Cellular Component), it should be clarified whether the 61 photosynthetic specific GO terms (as performed in 2012) are part of the same tree, or can be assessed independently via a different mechanism. Moreover, given that the main focus of this effort is to outperform sequence-based algorithms, it may be useful to explore terms that are marginally connected to photosynthesis - as the photosynthesis-specific terms may introduce an additional bias to the training of the model (taking the whole process, from PhotoMod to PhotoModGO / PhotoModGNN into consideration). - A final point is related to the discussion; it's absolutely clear that PhotoModPlus outperforms the two selected sequenced-based algorithms (diamond BLAST and DeepGOPlus). Would it be possible to re-use/adapt PhotoModPlus to work in a different context than photosynthesis - e.g. used to classify nitrate-reducing bacteria, and consequently further classify them across the different relevant GO terms. A short comment to this end, as well as some insights on the technical complexity required, would be useful. Minor points: - All figures are of extremely low quality, making some very hard to understand (especially Figure 2, 4 and 5). - Why are there two servers / URLs listed (i.e. http://bicep.kmutt.ac.th/photomod and http://bicep2.kmutt.ac.th/photomod)? If there is a clear distinction (i.e. different underlying resources, available services etc), it should be noted as such - or at least clarified in order to avoid confusion. - The sharing of the code and data by the authors is exemplary. However, all repositories should clearly include an appropriate License as well as a citation/acknowledgement file, in order to facilitate the (re-)use of the code by the wider community. Reviewer #2: This MS developed a new method for predicting photosynthetic proteins. It was properly benchmarked and showed better performance than sequence based methods. The only problem is that at the time of this review, the server can not be accessed. ********** 6. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files. If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public. Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy. Reviewer #1: Yes: Fotis E. Psomopoulos Reviewer #2: No [NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.] While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/. PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org. Please note that Supporting Information files do not need this step. |
| Revision 1 |
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PhotoModPlus: A web server for photosynthetic protein prediction from genome neighborhood features PONE-D-20-18308R1 Dear Dr. Ruengjitchatchawalya, We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements. Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication. An invoice for payment will follow shortly after the formal acceptance. To ensure an efficient process, please log into Editorial Manager at http://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/, click the 'Update My Information' link at the top of the page, and double check that your user information is up-to-date. If you have any billing related questions, please contact our Author Billing department directly at authorbilling@plos.org. If your institution or institutions have a press office, please notify them about your upcoming paper to help maximize its impact. If they’ll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team as soon as possible -- no later than 48 hours after receiving the formal acceptance. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org. Kind regards, Dapeng Wang Academic Editor PLOS ONE Reviewers' comments: Reviewer's Responses to Questions Comments to the Author 1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation. Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed Reviewer #2: (No Response) ********** 2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions? The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented. Reviewer #1: Yes Reviewer #2: (No Response) ********** 3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? Reviewer #1: Yes Reviewer #2: (No Response) ********** 4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available? The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified. Reviewer #1: Yes Reviewer #2: (No Response) ********** 5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English? PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here. Reviewer #1: Yes Reviewer #2: (No Response) ********** 6. Review Comments to the Author Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters) Reviewer #1: The authors have addressed all comments raised in the first round of reviewing, and I have no further concerns about this manuscript. I find it acceptable. Reviewer #2: (No Response) ********** 7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files. If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public. Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy. Reviewer #1: Yes: Fotis E. Psomopoulos Reviewer #2: No |
| Formally Accepted |
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PONE-D-20-18308R1 PhotoModPlus: A web server for photosynthetic protein prediction from genome neighborhood features Dear Dr. Ruengjitchatchawalya: I'm pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been deemed suitable for publication in PLOS ONE. Congratulations! Your manuscript is now with our production department. If your institution or institutions have a press office, please let them know about your upcoming paper now to help maximize its impact. If they'll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team within the next 48 hours. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information please contact onepress@plos.org. If we can help with anything else, please email us at plosone@plos.org. Thank you for submitting your work to PLOS ONE and supporting open access. Kind regards, PLOS ONE Editorial Office Staff on behalf of Dr. Dapeng Wang Academic Editor PLOS ONE |
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