# Which statistical test to use for comparing two groups?

I have data for 396 transcriptional factors (TF), where I have calculated the number of Transcriptional targets for each transcriptional factor present between the two groups:

Group-I(G-I): where co-exp genes have a correlation coefficient is more than 0.6 and

Group-II(G-II): where the co-exp genes have r values less than -0.6.

My question which statistical test I should use for evaluating the difference between the two groups?

  TF    G-I G-II
AATF  1   0
ABL1  5   1
AES   0   1
AHR   1   2
AIP   2   0
APBB1  0   1
APEX1   2   1
AR    0   2
ARNT    3   0

• What metric do you wish to compare? Is it the mean r value? What is your hypothesis? – Ram RS Jul 15 at 13:38
• Hi, I have co-expression map for all the human transcription factors. My hypothesis is that transcriptional targets of a transcriptional factor are among the highly co-expressed gene for that transcription factor. For that, I have divided my group into high and low co-exp genes – Riya Jul 15 at 13:44
• abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/… – Alex Reynolds Jul 15 at 17:22
• Post a histogram or similar of the two groups, it would help to see if they have a particular distribution. – Devon Ryan Jul 16 at 7:18