Inferring gene regulatory networks using transcriptional profiles as dynamical attractors

Author:

Li Ruihao,Rozum Jordan C.,Quail Morgan M.,Qasim Mohammad N.,Sindi Suzanne S.,Nobile Clarissa J.ORCID,Albert Réka,Hernday Aaron D.ORCID

Abstract

Genetic regulatory networks (GRNs) regulate the flow of genetic information from the genome to expressed messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and thus are critical to controlling the phenotypic characteristics of cells. Numerous methods exist for profiling mRNA transcript levels and identifying protein-DNA binding interactions at the genome-wide scale. These enable researchers to determine the structure and output of transcriptional regulatory networks, but uncovering the complete structure and regulatory logic of GRNs remains a challenge. The field of GRN inference aims to meet this challenge using computational modeling to derive the structure and logic of GRNs from experimental data and to encode this knowledge in Boolean networks, Bayesian networks, ordinary differential equation (ODE) models, or other modeling frameworks. However, most existing models do not incorporate dynamic transcriptional data since it has historically been less widely available in comparison to “static” transcriptional data. We report the development of an evolutionary algorithm-based ODE modeling approach (named EA) that integrates kinetic transcription data and the theory of attractor matching to infer GRN architecture and regulatory logic. Our method outperformed six leading GRN inference methods, none of which incorporate kinetic transcriptional data, in predicting regulatory connections among TFs when applied to a small-scale engineered synthetic GRN in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Moreover, we demonstrate the potential of our method to predict unknown transcriptional profiles that would be produced upon genetic perturbation of the GRN governing a two-state cellular phenotypic switch in Candida albicans. We established an iterative refinement strategy to facilitate candidate selection for experimentation; the experimental results in turn provide validation or improvement for the model. In this way, our GRN inference approach can expedite the development of a sophisticated mathematical model that can accurately describe the structure and dynamics of the in vivo GRN.

Funder

National Science Foundation

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Kamangar Family

Publisher

Public Library of Science (PLoS)

Subject

Computational Theory and Mathematics,Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience,Genetics,Molecular Biology,Ecology,Modeling and Simulation,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Reference101 articles.

1. A survey of models for inference of gene regulatory networks;B Ristevski;Nonlinear Analysis: Modelling and Control,2013

2. Cell dynamics and gene expression control in tissue homeostasis and development;P Rué;Molecular systems biology,2015

3. Attractor concepts to evaluate the transcriptome-wide Dynamics Guiding Anaerobic to Aerobic State transition in Escherichia coli;TT Bui;Scientific reports,2020

4. Gene regulatory networks and the evolution of animal body plans;EH Davidson;Science,2006

5. Stem cell states, fates, and the rules of attraction;T Enver;Cell stem cell,2009

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3