Guilt by association

Aravind L. Guilt by association contextual information in genome analysis. Genome Res 2000 10[8] 1074-1077. 

Walker MG et al. Pharmaceutical target discovery using Guilt-by-Association schizophrenia and Parkinson s disease genes. ISMB 1999 282-286. 

A key to defining the function of any protein is to determine what it binds to. In the case of protein-protein interactions, the association of a protein of unknown function with one whose function is known can provide a useful and compelling guilt by association. The techniques used in this effort are quite varied. 

Albert PR, Lemonde S. 5-HT1A receptors, gene repression, and depression guilt by association. Neuroscientist 2004 10 575-593. 

Sollid LM, Molberg O, McAdam S, Lundin KE. Autoantibodies in coeliac disease Tissue transglutaminase—guilt by association Gut 1997 41 851-852. 

Since Le Corbusier did not design Brasilia, it may seem like guilt by association to blame him for its manifest failings. Two considerations, however, justify the connection. The first is that Brasilia was faithfully built according to ciam doctrines elaborated mostly by Le Corbusier. Second, Le Corbusier did in fact play a major role in designing another capital city that reflected precisely the human problems encountered in Brasilia. 

Because of the complexity of SAR analysis a formalized scheme is used for detecting potential carcinogens, so as to ensure that all factors are properly considered. One such scheme is shown in Fig. 3. After consideration of the physicochemical properties, exposure pattern, degradation potential, metabolism and pharmacokinetics, three categories of criteria should be used for suspecting chemical compounds of carcinogenic activity. These are (1) structural criteria, (2) functional criteria, and (3) "guilt-by-association criterion. 

Scheme for Hazard Identification Based on Functional and "Guilt-by-association"... 

Bowcock, A. Guilt by Association. Nature 447, 645-646 (2007). [A News and Views article about the genome-wide association study of seven diseases.]... 

CAT s antibodies can be used directly to analyze the presence or absence of a protein in diseased and normal tissue to give evidence of guilt by association. CAT can test whether proteins implicated by an association with disease have a direct role in causing that disease by using antibodies to directly neutralize or possibly mimic the effects of the protein in both in vitro and in vivo models of the disease. This gives data about the involvement of the protein as a causative agent in the disease. 

Lack of knowledge about intermolecular forces first led the principle of corresponding states into too close an association with approximate equations of state, especially the van der Waals equation. Much later, especially in connection with transport properties, such lack led to too close an association with approximate models of the intermolecular potential, especially the Lennard-Jones (12-6) potential model. In both cases a sort of guilt by association followed, which kept many people from realizing that the principle was both more general and capable of much greater accuracy than seemed to be implied by these associations. 

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