In each panel the downward arrow indicates the number of genes overlapping between the experimental data sets, and the bars show the frequencies of overlaps in comparisons to random distributions. (A) Simulation of overlap between all of the genes called in genome-wide screens (lists 1–9) and the NCBI database of factors reported to be involved in HIV replication (list 10). One thousand pairs of gene sets were drawn randomly from the set of all human genes, 1,254 to simulate the set of all genes from genome-side screens and 1,434 to simulate NCBI genes, and the overlap in each pair plotted. The experimental overlap was 257 genes. (B) Simulation of overlapping genes between the König et al. and Zhou et al. siRNA screens. The experimental overlap was nine genes. The p-value calculated using the hypergeometric distribution was slightly lower (p = 0.014). (C) Simulation of expected overlap between screens given the measured error between replicates. The standard deviation of infectivity measurements were calculated from the König et al. siRNA screens, and then simulated datasets were generated containing the measured error. For simulations, either two replicates (pink) or ten replicates (yellow) were generated and the overlap quantified. The y-axis: number of top-scoring genes considered in overlap analysis; x-axis: actual number of overlapping genes seen comparing simulated data sets. (D) Choices for toxicity threshold strongly influence the recovery of genes affecting HIV infection. The genes tested in the König et al. siRNA screen were ranked according to toxicity of knockdown, then sets containing 100% of genes, the least toxic 50%, or the least toxic 20% were extracted (top). From each of these, the 300 genes that when knocked down showed the strongest reduction in HIV infection were then selected, and the overlap between gene sets calculated (bottom).