1
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Chee FT, Harun S, Mohd Daud K, Sulaiman S, Nor Muhammad NA. Exploring gene regulation and biological processes in insects: Insights from omics data using gene regulatory network models. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 189:1-12. [PMID: 38604435 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2024.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Gene regulatory network (GRN) comprises complicated yet intertwined gene-regulator relationships. Understanding the GRN dynamics will unravel the complexity behind the observed gene expressions. Insect gene regulation is often complicated due to their complex life cycles and diverse ecological adaptations. The main interest of this review is to have an update on the current mathematical modelling methods of GRNs to explain insect science. Several popular GRN architecture models are discussed, together with examples of applications in insect science. In the last part of this review, each model is compared from different aspects, including network scalability, computation complexity, robustness to noise and biological relevancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fong Ting Chee
- Institute of Systems Biology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Sarahani Harun
- Institute of Systems Biology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Kauthar Mohd Daud
- Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Suhaila Sulaiman
- FGV R&D Sdn Bhd, FGV Innovation Center, PT23417 Lengkuk Teknologi, Bandar Baru Enstek, 71760 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
| | - Nor Azlan Nor Muhammad
- Institute of Systems Biology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
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2
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Lange E, Kranert L, Krüger J, Benndorf D, Heyer R. Microbiome modeling: a beginner's guide. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1368377. [PMID: 38962127 PMCID: PMC11220171 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1368377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbiomes, comprised of diverse microbial species and viruses, play pivotal roles in human health, environmental processes, and biotechnological applications and interact with each other, their environment, and hosts via ecological interactions. Our understanding of microbiomes is still limited and hampered by their complexity. A concept improving this understanding is systems biology, which focuses on the holistic description of biological systems utilizing experimental and computational methods. An important set of such experimental methods are metaomics methods which analyze microbiomes and output lists of molecular features. These lists of data are integrated, interpreted, and compiled into computational microbiome models, to predict, optimize, and control microbiome behavior. There exists a gap in understanding between microbiologists and modelers/bioinformaticians, stemming from a lack of interdisciplinary knowledge. This knowledge gap hinders the establishment of computational models in microbiome analysis. This review aims to bridge this gap and is tailored for microbiologists, researchers new to microbiome modeling, and bioinformaticians. To achieve this goal, it provides an interdisciplinary overview of microbiome modeling, starting with fundamental knowledge of microbiomes, metaomics methods, common modeling formalisms, and how models facilitate microbiome control. It concludes with guidelines and repositories for modeling. Each section provides entry-level information, example applications, and important references, serving as a valuable resource for comprehending and navigating the complex landscape of microbiome research and modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel Lange
- Multidimensional Omics Data Analysis, Department for Bioanalytics, Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften - ISAS - e.V., Dortmund, Germany
- Graduate School Digital Infrastructure for the Life Sciences, Bielefeld Institute for Bioinformatics Infrastructure (BIBI), Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Lena Kranert
- Institute for Automation Engineering, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jacob Krüger
- Engineering of Software-Intensive Systems, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Dirk Benndorf
- Applied Biosciences and Bioprocess Engineering, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Köthen, Germany
| | - Robert Heyer
- Multidimensional Omics Data Analysis, Department for Bioanalytics, Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften - ISAS - e.V., Dortmund, Germany
- Graduate School Digital Infrastructure for the Life Sciences, Bielefeld Institute for Bioinformatics Infrastructure (BIBI), Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Multidimensional Omics Data Analysis, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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3
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Rebboah E, Rezaie N, Williams BA, Weimer AK, Shi M, Yang X, Liang HY, Dionne LA, Reese F, Trout D, Jou J, Youngworth I, Reinholdt L, Morabito S, Snyder MP, Wold BJ, Mortazavi A. The ENCODE mouse postnatal developmental time course identifies regulatory programs of cell types and cell states. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.12.598567. [PMID: 38915583 PMCID: PMC11195270 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.12.598567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Postnatal genomic regulation significantly influences tissue and organ maturation but is under-studied relative to existing genomic catalogs of adult tissues or prenatal development in mouse. The ENCODE4 consortium generated the first comprehensive single-nucleus resource of postnatal regulatory events across a diverse set of mouse tissues. The collection spans seven postnatal time points, mirroring human development from childhood to adulthood, and encompasses five core tissues. We identified 30 cell types, further subdivided into 69 subtypes and cell states across adrenal gland, left cerebral cortex, hippocampus, heart, and gastrocnemius muscle. Our annotations cover both known and novel cell differentiation dynamics ranging from early hippocampal neurogenesis to a new sex-specific adrenal gland population during puberty. We used an ensemble Latent Dirichlet Allocation strategy with a curated vocabulary of 2,701 regulatory genes to identify regulatory "topics," each of which is a gene vector, linked to cell type differentiation, subtype specialization, and transitions between cell states. We find recurrent regulatory topics in tissue-resident macrophages, neural cell types, endothelial cells across multiple tissues, and cycling cells of the adrenal gland and heart. Cell-type-specific topics are enriched in transcription factors and microRNA host genes, while chromatin regulators dominate mitosis topics. Corresponding chromatin accessibility data reveal dynamic and sex-specific regulatory elements, with enriched motifs matching transcription factors in regulatory topics. Together, these analyses identify both tissue-specific and common regulatory programs in postnatal development across multiple tissues through the lens of the factors regulating transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Rebboah
- Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | - Narges Rezaie
- Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | - Brian A. Williams
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA
| | - Annika K. Weimer
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, USA
| | - Minyi Shi
- Department of Next Generation Sequencing and Microchemistry, Proteomics and Lipidomics, Genentech, San Francisco, USA
| | - Xinqiong Yang
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, USA
| | - Heidi Yahan Liang
- Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | | | - Fairlie Reese
- Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | - Diane Trout
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA
| | - Jennifer Jou
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, USA
| | - Ingrid Youngworth
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, USA
| | | | - Samuel Morabito
- Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | - Michael P. Snyder
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, USA
| | - Barbara J. Wold
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA
| | - Ali Mortazavi
- Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
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4
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Hernández-Magaña A, Bensussen A, Martínez-García JC, Álvarez-Buylla ER. Engineering principles for rationally design therapeutic strategies against hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Mol Biosci 2024; 11:1404319. [PMID: 38939509 PMCID: PMC11208463 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1404319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The search for new therapeutic strategies against cancer has favored the emergence of rationally designed treatments. These treatments have focused on attacking cell plasticity mechanisms to block the transformation of epithelial cells into cancerous cells. The aim of these approaches was to control particularly lethal cancers such as hepatocellular carcinoma. However, they have not been able to control the progression of cancer for unknown reasons. Facing this scenario, emerging areas such as systems biology propose using engineering principles to design and optimize cancer treatments. Beyond the possibilities that this approach might offer, it is necessary to know whether its implementation at a clinical level is viable or not. Therefore, in this paper, we will review the engineering principles that could be applied to rationally design strategies against hepatocellular carcinoma, and discuss whether the necessary elements exist to implement them. In particular, we will emphasize whether these engineering principles could be applied to fight hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antonio Bensussen
- Departamento de Control Automático, Cinvestav-IPN, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | | | - Elena R. Álvarez-Buylla
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad (C3), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
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5
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Pušnik Ž, Mraz M, Zimic N, Moškon M. SAILoR: Structure-Aware Inference of Logic Rules. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304102. [PMID: 38861487 PMCID: PMC11166287 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Boolean networks provide an effective mechanism for describing interactions and dynamics of gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Deriving accurate Boolean descriptions of GRNs is a challenging task. The number of experiments is usually much smaller than the number of genes. In addition, binarization leads to a loss of information and inconsistencies arise in binarized time-series data. The inference of Boolean networks from binarized time-series data alone often leads to complex and overfitted models. To obtain relevant Boolean models of gene regulatory networks, inference methods could incorporate data from multiple sources and prior knowledge in terms of general network structure and/or exact interactions. We propose the Boolean network inference method SAILoR (Structure-Aware Inference of Logic Rules). SAILoR incorporates time-series gene expression data in combination with provided reference networks to infer accurate Boolean models. SAILoR automatically extracts topological properties from reference networks. These can describe a more general structure of the GRN or can be more precise and describe specific interactions. SAILoR infers a Boolean network by learning from both continuous and binarized time-series data. It navigates between two main objectives, topological similarity to reference networks and correspondence with gene expression data. By incorporating the NSGA-II multi-objective genetic algorithm, SAILoR relies on the wisdom of crowds. Our results indicate that SAILoR can infer accurate and biologically relevant Boolean descriptions of GRNs from both a static and a dynamic perspective. We show that SAILoR improves the static accuracy of the inferred network compared to the network inference method dynGENIE3. Furthermore, we compared the performance of SAILoR with other Boolean network inference approaches including Best-Fit, REVEAL, MIBNI, GABNI, ATEN, and LogBTF. We have shown that by incorporating prior knowledge about the overall network structure, SAILoR can improve the structural correctness of the inferred Boolean networks while maintaining dynamic accuracy. To demonstrate the applicability of SAILoR, we inferred context-specific Boolean subnetworks of female Drosophila melanogaster before and after mating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Žiga Pušnik
- Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Miha Mraz
- Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nikolaj Zimic
- Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Miha Moškon
- Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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6
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Häusler S. Correlations reveal the hierarchical organization of biological networks with latent variables. Commun Biol 2024; 7:678. [PMID: 38831002 PMCID: PMC11148204 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06342-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Deciphering the functional organization of large biological networks is a major challenge for current mathematical methods. A common approach is to decompose networks into largely independent functional modules, but inferring these modules and their organization from network activity is difficult, given the uncertainties and incompleteness of measurements. Typically, some parts of the overall functional organization, such as intermediate processing steps, are latent. We show that the hidden structure can be determined from the statistical moments of observable network components alone, as long as the functional relevance of the network components lies in their mean values and the mean of each latent variable maps onto a scaled expectation of a binary variable. Whether the function of biological networks permits a hierarchical modularization can be falsified by a correlation-based statistical test that we derive. We apply the test to gene regulatory networks, dendrites of pyramidal neurons, and networks of spiking neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Häusler
- Faculty of Biology and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
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7
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Peng D, Cahan P. OneSC: A computational platform for recapitulating cell state transitions. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.31.596831. [PMID: 38895453 PMCID: PMC11185539 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.31.596831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Computational modelling of cell state transitions has been a great interest of many in the field of developmental biology, cancer biology and cell fate engineering because it enables performing perturbation experiments in silico more rapidly and cheaply than could be achieved in a wet lab. Recent advancements in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) allow the capture of high-resolution snapshots of cell states as they transition along temporal trajectories. Using these high-throughput datasets, we can train computational models to generate in silico 'synthetic' cells that faithfully mimic the temporal trajectories. Here we present OneSC, a platform that can simulate synthetic cells across developmental trajectories using systems of stochastic differential equations govern by a core transcription factors (TFs) regulatory network. Different from the current network inference methods, OneSC prioritizes on generating Boolean network that produces faithful cell state transitions and steady cell states that mimic real biological systems. Applying OneSC to real data, we inferred a core TF network using a mouse myeloid progenitor scRNA-seq dataset and showed that the dynamical simulations of that network generate synthetic single-cell expression profiles that faithfully recapitulate the four myeloid differentiation trajectories going into differentiated cell states (erythrocytes, megakaryocytes, granulocytes and monocytes). Finally, through the in-silico perturbations of the mouse myeloid progenitor core network, we showed that OneSC can accurately predict cell fate decision biases of TF perturbations that closely match with previous experimental observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Peng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Patrick Cahan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
- Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
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8
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Chen C, Padi M. Flexible modeling of regulatory networks improves transcription factor activity estimation. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2024; 10:58. [PMID: 38806476 PMCID: PMC11133322 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-024-00386-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional regulation plays a crucial role in determining cell fate and disease, yet inferring the key regulators from gene expression data remains a significant challenge. Existing methods for estimating transcription factor (TF) activity often rely on static TF-gene interaction databases and cannot adapt to changes in regulatory mechanisms across different cell types and disease conditions. Here, we present a new algorithm - Transcriptional Inference using Gene Expression and Regulatory data (TIGER) - that overcomes these limitations by flexibly modeling activation and inhibition events, up-weighting essential edges, shrinking irrelevant edges towards zero through a sparse Bayesian prior, and simultaneously estimating both TF activity levels and changes in the underlying regulatory network. When applied to yeast and cancer TF knock-out datasets, TIGER outperforms comparable methods in terms of prediction accuracy. Moreover, our application of TIGER to tissue- and cell-type-specific RNA-seq data demonstrates its ability to uncover differences in regulatory mechanisms. Collectively, our findings highlight the utility of modeling context-specific regulation when inferring transcription factor activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, Tucson, AZ, USA
- University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Megha Padi
- University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
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9
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Camacho-Aguilar E, Yoon ST, Ortiz-Salazar MA, Du S, Guerra MC, Warmflash A. Combinatorial interpretation of BMP and WNT controls the decision between primitive streak and extraembryonic fates. Cell Syst 2024; 15:445-461.e4. [PMID: 38692274 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2024.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
BMP signaling is essential for mammalian gastrulation, as it initiates a cascade of signals that control self-organized patterning. As development is highly dynamic, it is crucial to understand how time-dependent combinatorial signaling affects cellular differentiation. Here, we show that BMP signaling duration is a crucial control parameter that determines cell fates upon the exit from pluripotency through its interplay with the induced secondary signal WNT. BMP signaling directly converts cells from pluripotent to extraembryonic fates while simultaneously upregulating Wnt signaling, which promotes primitive streak and mesodermal specification. Using live-cell imaging of signaling and cell fate reporters together with a simple mathematical model, we show that this circuit produces a temporal morphogen effect where, once BMP signal duration is above a threshold for differentiation, intermediate and long pulses of BMP signaling produce specification of mesoderm and extraembryonic fates, respectively. Our results provide a systems-level picture of how these signaling pathways control the landscape of early human development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sumin T Yoon
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | | | - Siqi Du
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - M Cecilia Guerra
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Aryeh Warmflash
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
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10
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Guo C, Huang Z, Chen J, Yu G, Wang Y, Wang X. Identification of Novel Regulators of Leaf Senescence Using a Deep Learning Model. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1276. [PMID: 38732491 PMCID: PMC11085074 DOI: 10.3390/plants13091276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Deep learning has emerged as a powerful tool for investigating intricate biological processes in plants by harnessing the potential of large-scale data. Gene regulation is a complex process that transcription factors (TFs), cooperating with their target genes, participate in through various aspects of biological processes. Despite its significance, the study of gene regulation has primarily focused on a limited number of notable instances, leaving numerous aspects and interactions yet to be explored comprehensively. Here, we developed DEGRN (Deep learning on Expression for Gene Regulatory Network), an innovative deep learning model designed to decipher gene interactions by leveraging high-dimensional expression data obtained from bulk RNA-Seq and scRNA-Seq data in the model plant Arabidopsis. DEGRN exhibited a compared level of predictive power when applied to various datasets. Through the utilization of DEGRN, we successfully identified an extensive set of 3,053,363 high-quality interactions, encompassing 1430 TFs and 13,739 non-TF genes. Notably, DEGRN's predictive capabilities allowed us to uncover novel regulators involved in a range of complex biological processes, including development, metabolism, and stress responses. Using leaf senescence as an example, we revealed a complex network underpinning this process composed of diverse TF families, including bHLH, ERF, and MYB. We also identified a novel TF, named MAF5, whose expression showed a strong linear regression relation during the progression of senescence. The mutant maf5 showed early leaf decay compared to the wild type, indicating a potential role in the regulation of leaf senescence. This hypothesis was further supported by the expression patterns observed across four stages of leaf development, as well as transcriptomics analysis. Overall, the comprehensive coverage provided by DEGRN expands our understanding of gene regulatory networks and paves the way for further investigations into their functional implications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Xu Wang
- Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center of Agri-Seeds, Joint Center for Single Cell Biology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; (C.G.); (Z.H.); (J.C.); (G.Y.); (Y.W.)
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11
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Miranda-López DC, Pérez-Rueda E, Rojas-Vargas J, Cortez CH, Saldaña-Padilla A, Castelán-Sánchez HG, Castro-Escarpulli G. Comprehensive comparative analysis of the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis: exploring the pan-genome, the reconstruction of the gene regulatory network and genome-scale metabolic network. Lett Appl Microbiol 2024; 77:ovae048. [PMID: 38769598 DOI: 10.1093/lambio/ovae048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Porphyromonas gingivalis is a nonmotile, obligate anaerobic, Gram-negative bacterium known for its association with periodontal disease and its involvement in systemic diseases such as atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. This bacterium produces several virulence factors, including capsules, fimbriae, lipopolysaccharides, proteolytic enzymes, and hemagglutinins. A comparative genomic analysis revealed the open pangenome of P. gingivalis and identified complete type IV secretion systems in strain KCOM2805 and almost complete type VI secretion systems in strains KCOM2798 and ATCC49417, which is a new discovery as previous studies did not find the proteins involved in secretion systems IV and VI. Conservation of some virulence factors between different strains was observed, regardless of their genetic diversity and origin. In addition, we performed for the first time a reconstruction analysis of the gene regulatory network, identifying transcription factors and proteins involved in the regulatory mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis. In particular, QseB regulates the expression of hemagglutinin and arginine deaminase, while Rex may suppress the release of gingipain through interactions with PorV and the formatum/nitrate transporter. Our study highlights the central role of conserved virulence factors and regulatory pathways, particularly QseB and Rex, in P. gingivalis and provides insights into potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana C Miranda-López
- Laboratorio de Investigación Clínica y Ambiental, Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 11340, México
| | - Ernesto Pérez-Rueda
- Unidad Académica del Estado de Yucatán, Instituto de Investigaciones en Matemáticas Aplicadas y en Sistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, México
| | - Jorge Rojas-Vargas
- Department of Biology, University of Western, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Cecilia Hernández Cortez
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica Microbiana, Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 11340, México
| | - Andres Saldaña-Padilla
- Laboratorio de Investigación Clínica y Ambiental, Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 11340, México
| | - Hugo G Castelán-Sánchez
- Programa de Investigadoras e Investigadores por México. Grupo de Genómica y Dinámica Evolutiva de Microorganismos Emergentes, Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías, Ciudad de México 03940, México
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Graciela Castro-Escarpulli
- Laboratorio de Investigación Clínica y Ambiental, Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 11340, México
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12
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Bhardwaj C, Srivastava P. Identification of hub genes in placental dysfunction and recurrent pregnancy loss through transcriptome data mining: A meta-analysis. Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol 2024; 63:297-306. [PMID: 38802191 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjog.2024.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a condition characterized by the loss of two or more pregnancies before 20 weeks of gestation. The causes of RPL are complex and can be due to a variety of factors, including genetic, immunological, hormonal, and environmental factors. This transcriptome data mining study was done to explore the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and related pathways responsible for pathogenesis of RPL using an Insilco approach. RNAseq datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used to extract RNAseq datasets of RPL. Meta-analysis was done by ExpressAnalyst. The functional and pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs were performed using KEGG and BINGO plugin of Cytoscape software. Protein-protein interaction was done using STRING and hub genes were identified. A total of 91 DEGs were identified, out of which 10 were downregulated and 81 were upregulated. Pathway analysis indicated that majority of DEGs were enriched in immunological pathways (IL-17 signalling pathway, TLR-signalling pathway, autoimmune thyroid disease), angiogenic VEGF-signalling pathway and cell-cycle signalling pathways. Of these, 10 hub genes with high connectivity were selected (CXCL8, CCND1, FOS, PTGS2, CTLA4, THBS1, MMP2, KDR, and CD80). Most of these genes are involved in maintenance of immune response at maternal-fetal interface. Further, in functional enrichment analyses revealed the highest node size in regulation of biological processes followed by cellular processes, their regulation and regulation of multicellular organismal process. This in-silico transcriptomics meta-analysis findings could potentially contribute in identifying novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for RPL, which could lead to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chitra Bhardwaj
- Genetic Metabolic Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Advanced Paediatrics Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Sector-12, Chandigarh, 160012, India
| | - Priyanka Srivastava
- Genetic Metabolic Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Advanced Paediatrics Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Sector-12, Chandigarh, 160012, India.
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13
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O’Brien NLV, Holland B, Engelstädter J, Ortiz-Barrientos D. The distribution of fitness effects during adaptive walks using a simple genetic network. PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1011289. [PMID: 38787919 PMCID: PMC11156440 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The tempo and mode of adaptation depends on the availability of beneficial alleles. Genetic interactions arising from gene networks can restrict this availability. However, the extent to which networks affect adaptation remains largely unknown. Current models of evolution consider additive genotype-phenotype relationships while often ignoring the contribution of gene interactions to phenotypic variance. In this study, we model a quantitative trait as the product of a simple gene regulatory network, the negative autoregulation motif. Using forward-time genetic simulations, we measure adaptive walks towards a phenotypic optimum in both additive and network models. A key expectation from adaptive walk theory is that the distribution of fitness effects of new beneficial mutations is exponential. We found that both models instead harbored distributions with fewer large-effect beneficial alleles than expected. The network model also had a complex and bimodal distribution of fitness effects among all mutations, with a considerable density at deleterious selection coefficients. This behavior is reminiscent of the cost of complexity, where correlations among traits constrain adaptation. Our results suggest that the interactions emerging from genetic networks can generate complex and multimodal distributions of fitness effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas L. V. O’Brien
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Barbara Holland
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Jan Engelstädter
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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14
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Skok Gibbs C, Mahmood O, Bonneau R, Cho K. PMF-GRN: a variational inference approach to single-cell gene regulatory network inference using probabilistic matrix factorization. Genome Biol 2024; 25:88. [PMID: 38589899 PMCID: PMC11003171 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03226-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Inferring gene regulatory networks (GRNs) from single-cell data is challenging due to heuristic limitations. Existing methods also lack estimates of uncertainty. Here we present Probabilistic Matrix Factorization for Gene Regulatory Network Inference (PMF-GRN). Using single-cell expression data, PMF-GRN infers latent factors capturing transcription factor activity and regulatory relationships. Using variational inference allows hyperparameter search for principled model selection and direct comparison to other generative models. We extensively test and benchmark our method using real single-cell datasets and synthetic data. We show that PMF-GRN infers GRNs more accurately than current state-of-the-art single-cell GRN inference methods, offering well-calibrated uncertainty estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Omar Mahmood
- Center for Data Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10011, USA
| | - Richard Bonneau
- Center for Data Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10011, USA
- Prescient Design, Genentech, New York, NY, 10010, USA
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Kyunghyun Cho
- Center for Data Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10011, USA.
- Prescient Design, Genentech, New York, NY, 10010, USA.
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15
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Sgariglia D, Carneiro FRG, Vidal de Carvalho LA, Pedreira CE, Carels N, da Silva FAB. Optimizing therapeutic targets for breast cancer using boolean network models. Comput Biol Chem 2024; 109:108022. [PMID: 38350182 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2024.108022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Studying gene regulatory networks associated with cancer provides valuable insights for therapeutic purposes, given that cancer is fundamentally a genetic disease. However, as the number of genes in the system increases, the complexity arising from the interconnections between network components grows exponentially. In this study, using Boolean logic to adjust the existing relationships between network components has facilitated simplifying the modeling process, enabling the generation of attractors that represent cell phenotypes based on breast cancer RNA-seq data. A key therapeutic objective is to guide cells, through targeted interventions, to transition from the current cancer attractor to a physiologically distinct attractor unrelated to cancer. To achieve this, we developed a computational method that identifies network nodes whose inhibition can facilitate the desired transition from one tumor attractor to another associated with apoptosis, leveraging transcriptomic data from cell lines. To validate the model, we utilized previously published in vitro experiments where the downregulation of specific proteins resulted in cell growth arrest and death of a breast cancer cell line. The method proposed in this manuscript combines diverse data sources, conducts structural network analysis, and incorporates relevant biological knowledge on apoptosis in cancer cells. This comprehensive approach aims to identify potential targets of significance for personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Flavia Raquel Gonçalves Carneiro
- Center of Technological Development in Health (CDTS), FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Program of Immunology and Tumor Biology, Brazilian National Cancer Institute(INCA), Rio de Janeiro 20231050, Brazil
| | | | | | - Nicolas Carels
- Platform of Biological System Modeling, Center of Technological Development in Health (CDTS), FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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16
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Sahu S, Rao AR, Sahu TK, Pandey J, Varshney S, Kumar A, Gaikwad K. Predictive Role of Cluster Bean ( Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) Derived miRNAs in Human and Cattle Health. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:448. [PMID: 38674383 PMCID: PMC11049822 DOI: 10.3390/genes15040448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding conserved molecules with lengths varying between 18-25nt. Plants miRNAs are very stable, and probably they might have been transferred across kingdoms via food intake. Such miRNAs are also called exogenous miRNAs, which regulate the gene expression in host organisms. The miRNAs present in the cluster bean, a drought tolerant legume crop having high commercial value, might have also played a regulatory role for the genes involved in nutrients synthesis or disease pathways in animals including humans due to dietary intake of plant parts of cluster beans. However, the predictive role of miRNAs of cluster beans for gene-disease association across kingdoms such as cattle and humans are not yet fully explored. Thus, the aim of the present study is to (i) find out the cluster bean miRNAs (cb-miRs) functionally similar to miRNAs of cattle and humans and predict their target genes' involvement in the occurrence of complex diseases, and (ii) identify the role of cb-miRs that are functionally non-similar to the miRNAs of cattle and humans and predict their targeted genes' association with complex diseases in host systems. Here, we predicted a total of 33 and 15 functionally similar cb-miRs (fs-cb-miRs) to human and cattle miRNAs, respectively. Further, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed the participation of targeted genes of fs-cb-miRs in 24 and 12 different pathways in humans and cattle, respectively. Few targeted genes in humans like LCP2, GABRA6, and MYH14 were predicted to be associated with disease pathways of Yesinia infection (hsa05135), neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction (hsa04080), and pathogenic Escherichia coli infection (hsa05130), respectively. However, targeted genes of fs-cb-miRs in humans like KLHL20, TNS1, and PAPD4 are associated with Alzheimer's, malignant tumor of the breast, and hepatitis C virus infection disease, respectively. Similarly, in cattle, targeted genes like ATG2B and DHRS11 of fs-cb-miRs participate in the pathways of Huntington disease and steroid biosynthesis, respectively. Additionally, the targeted genes like SURF4 and EDME2 of fs-cb-miRs are associated with mastitis and bovine osteoporosis, respectively. We also found a few cb-miRs that do not have functional similarity with human and cattle miRNAs but are found to target the genes in the host organisms and as well being associated with human and cattle diseases. Interestingly, a few genes such as NRM, PTPRE and SUZ12 were observed to be associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Asthma and Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma diseases, respectively, in humans and genes like SCNN1B associated with renal disease in cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarika Sahu
- Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, ICAR, New Delhi 110012, India; (S.S.); (J.P.); (S.V.)
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida 201303, India;
| | - Atmakuri Ramakrishna Rao
- Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, ICAR, New Delhi 110012, India; (S.S.); (J.P.); (S.V.)
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Tanmaya Kumar Sahu
- Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, ICAR, Jhansi 284003, India;
| | - Jaya Pandey
- Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, ICAR, New Delhi 110012, India; (S.S.); (J.P.); (S.V.)
| | - Shivangi Varshney
- Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, ICAR, New Delhi 110012, India; (S.S.); (J.P.); (S.V.)
| | - Archna Kumar
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida 201303, India;
| | - Kishor Gaikwad
- National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, ICAR, New Delhi 110012, India;
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17
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Aguadé-Gorgorió G, Arnoldi JF, Barbier M, Kéfi S. A taxonomy of multiple stable states in complex ecological communities. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14413. [PMID: 38584579 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Natural systems are built from multiple interconnected units, making their dynamics, functioning and fragility notoriously hard to predict. A fragility scenario of particular relevance concerns so-called regime shifts: abrupt transitions from healthy to degraded ecosystem states. An explanation for these shifts is that they arise as transitions between alternative stable states, a process that is well-understood in few-species models. However, how multistability upscales with system complexity remains a debated question. Here, we identify that four different multistability regimes generically emerge in models of species-rich communities and other archetypical complex biological systems assuming random interactions. Across the studied models, each regime consistently emerges under a specific interaction scheme and leaves a distinct set of fingerprints in terms of the number of observed states, their species richness and their response to perturbations. Our results help clarify the conditions and types of multistability that can be expected to occur in complex ecological communities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jean-François Arnoldi
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, France
| | - Matthieu Barbier
- PHIM Plant Health Institute, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Sonia Kéfi
- ISEM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
- France Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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18
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Ding Y, Gao J, Magdon-Ismail M. Efficient parameter inference in networked dynamical systems via steady states: A surrogate objective function approach integrating mean-field and nonlinear least squares. Phys Rev E 2024; 109:034301. [PMID: 38632807 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.109.034301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
In networked dynamical systems, inferring governing parameters is crucial for predicting nodal dynamics, such as gene expression levels, species abundance, or population density. While many parameter estimation techniques rely on time-series data, particularly systems that converge over extreme time ranges, only noisy steady-state data is available, requiring a new approach to infer dynamical parameters from noisy observations of steady states. However, the traditional optimization process is computationally demanding, requiring repeated simulation of coupled ordinary differential equations. To overcome these limitations, we introduce a surrogate objective function that leverages decoupled equations to compute steady states, significantly reducing computational complexity. Furthermore, by optimizing the surrogate objective function, we obtain steady states that more accurately approximate the ground truth than noisy observations and predict future equilibria when topology changes. We empirically demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method across ecological, gene regulatory, and epidemic networks. Our approach provides an efficient and effective way to estimate parameters from steady-state data and has the potential to improve predictions in networked dynamical systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanna Ding
- Department of Computer Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA
| | - Jianxi Gao
- Department of Computer Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA
| | - Malik Magdon-Ismail
- Department of Computer Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA
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19
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Andrews SS, Wiley HS, Sauro HM. Design patterns of biological cells. Bioessays 2024; 46:e2300188. [PMID: 38247191 PMCID: PMC10922931 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Design patterns are generalized solutions to frequently recurring problems. They were initially developed by architects and computer scientists to create a higher level of abstraction for their designs. Here, we extend these concepts to cell biology to lend a new perspective on the evolved designs of cells' underlying reaction networks. We present a catalog of 21 design patterns divided into three categories: creational patterns describe processes that build the cell, structural patterns describe the layouts of reaction networks, and behavioral patterns describe reaction network function. Applying this pattern language to the E. coli central metabolic reaction network, the yeast pheromone response signaling network, and other examples lends new insights into these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven S. Andrews
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - H. Steven Wiley
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - Herbert M. Sauro
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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20
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Osorio D, Capasso A, Eckhardt SG, Giri U, Somma A, Pitts TM, Lieu CH, Messersmith WA, Bagby SM, Singh H, Das J, Sahni N, Yi SS, Kuijjer ML. Population-level comparisons of gene regulatory networks modeled on high-throughput single-cell transcriptomics data. NATURE COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE 2024; 4:237-250. [PMID: 38438786 DOI: 10.1038/s43588-024-00597-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Single-cell technologies enable high-resolution studies of phenotype-defining molecular mechanisms. However, data sparsity and cellular heterogeneity make modeling biological variability across single-cell samples difficult. Here we present SCORPION, a tool that uses a message-passing algorithm to reconstruct comparable gene regulatory networks from single-cell/nuclei RNA-sequencing data that are suitable for population-level comparisons by leveraging the same baseline priors. Using synthetic data, we found that SCORPION outperformed 12 existing gene regulatory network reconstruction techniques. Using supervised experiments, we show that SCORPION can accurately identify differences in regulatory networks between wild-type and transcription factor-perturbed cells. We demonstrate SCORPION's scalability to population-level analyses using a single-cell RNA-sequencing atlas containing 200,436 cells from colorectal cancer and adjacent healthy tissues. The differences between tumor regions detected by SCORPION are consistent across multiple cohorts as well as with our understanding of disease progression, and elucidate phenotypic regulators that may impact patient survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Osorio
- Department of Oncology, Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
| | - Anna Capasso
- Department of Oncology, Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - S Gail Eckhardt
- Department of Oncology, Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Uma Giri
- Department of Oncology, Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Alexander Somma
- Department of Oncology, Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Todd M Pitts
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Colorado Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Christopher H Lieu
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Colorado Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Wells A Messersmith
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Colorado Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Stacey M Bagby
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Colorado Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Harinder Singh
- Department of Immunology, Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburg, Pittsburg, PA, USA
| | - Jishnu Das
- Department of Immunology, Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburg, Pittsburg, PA, USA
| | - Nidhi Sahni
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - S Stephen Yi
- Department of Oncology, Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Programs (ILSGP), College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES), The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
| | - Marieke L Kuijjer
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
- Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Leiden Center for Computational Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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21
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Öztürk D, Atay FM, Özbay H. Chaos in gene regulatory networks: Effects of time delays and interaction structure. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2024; 34:033102. [PMID: 38427936 DOI: 10.1063/5.0172767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
In biological system models, gene expression levels are typically described by regulatory feedback mechanisms. Many studies of gene network models focus on dynamical interactions between components, but often overlook time delays. Here we present an extended model for gene regulatory networks with time delayed negative feedback, which is described by delay differential equations. We analyze nonlinear properties of the model in terms of chaos and compare the conditions with the benchmark homogeneous gene regulatory network model. Chaotic dynamics depend strongly on the inclusion of time delays, but the minimum motifs that show chaos differ when both original and extended models are considered. Our results suggest that, for a particular higher order extension of the gene network, it is possible to observe chaotic dynamics in a two-gene system without adding any self-inhibition. This finding can be explained as a result of modification of the original benchmark model induced by previously unmodeled dynamics. We argue that the inclusion of additional parameters in regulatory gene circuit models substantially enhances the likelihood of observing non-periodic dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilan Öztürk
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
- Control Systems Group, Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Fatihcan M Atay
- Department of Mathematics, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Hitay Özbay
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
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22
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Galindez G, List M, Baumbach J, Völker U, Mäder U, Blumenthal DB, Kacprowski T. Inference of differential gene regulatory networks using boosted differential trees. BIOINFORMATICS ADVANCES 2024; 4:vbae034. [PMID: 38505804 PMCID: PMC10948285 DOI: 10.1093/bioadv/vbae034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Summary Diseases can be caused by molecular perturbations that induce specific changes in regulatory interactions and their coordinated expression, also referred to as network rewiring. However, the detection of complex changes in regulatory connections remains a challenging task and would benefit from the development of novel nonparametric approaches. We develop a new ensemble method called BoostDiff (boosted differential regression trees) to infer a differential network discriminating between two conditions. BoostDiff builds an adaptively boosted (AdaBoost) ensemble of differential trees with respect to a target condition. To build the differential trees, we propose differential variance improvement as a novel splitting criterion. Variable importance measures derived from the resulting models are used to reflect changes in gene expression predictability and to build the output differential networks. BoostDiff outperforms existing differential network methods on simulated data evaluated in four different complexity settings. We then demonstrate the power of our approach when applied to real transcriptomics data in COVID-19, Crohn's disease, breast cancer, prostate adenocarcinoma, and stress response in Bacillus subtilis. BoostDiff identifies context-specific networks that are enriched with genes of known disease-relevant pathways and complements standard differential expression analyses. Availability and implementation BoostDiff is available at https://github.com/scibiome/boostdiff_inference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gihanna Galindez
- Division Data Science in Biomedicine, Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics of Technische Universität Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany
- Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany
| | - Markus List
- Experimental Bioinformatics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, 85354, Germany
| | - Jan Baumbach
- Institute for Computational Systems Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, 22607, Germany
- Computational Biomedicine Lab, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, 5230, Denmark
| | - Uwe Völker
- Department of Functional Genomics, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, 17475, Germany
| | - Ulrike Mäder
- Department of Functional Genomics, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, 17475, Germany
| | - David B Blumenthal
- Biomedical Network Science Lab, Department of Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, 91052, Germany
| | - Tim Kacprowski
- Division Data Science in Biomedicine, Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics of Technische Universität Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany
- Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany
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23
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Taoma K, Ruengjitchatchawalya M, Liangruksa M, Laomettachit T. Boolean modeling of breast cancer signaling pathways uncovers mechanisms of drug synergy. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298788. [PMID: 38394152 PMCID: PMC10889607 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in females. While drug combinations have shown potential in breast cancer treatments, identifying new effective drug pairs is challenging due to the vast number of possible combinations among available compounds. Efforts have been made to accelerate the process with in silico predictions. Here, we developed a Boolean model of signaling pathways in breast cancer. The model was tailored to represent five breast cancer cell lines by integrating information about cell-line specific mutations, gene expression, and drug treatments. The models reproduced cell-line specific protein activities and drug-response behaviors in agreement with experimental data. Next, we proposed a calculation of protein synergy scores (PSSs), determining the effect of drug combinations on individual proteins' activities. The PSSs of selected proteins were used to investigate the synergistic effects of 150 drug combinations across five cancer cell lines. The comparison of the highest single agent (HSA) synergy scores between experiments and model predictions from the MDA-MB-231 cell line achieved the highest Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.58 with a great balance among the classification metrics (AUC = 0.74, sensitivity = 0.63, and specificity = 0.64). Finally, we clustered drug pairs into groups based on the selected PSSs to gain further insights into the mechanisms underlying the observed synergistic effects of drug pairs. Clustering analysis allowed us to identify distinct patterns in the protein activities that correspond to five different modes of synergy: 1) synergistic activation of FADD and BID (extrinsic apoptosis pathway), 2) synergistic inhibition of BCL2 (intrinsic apoptosis pathway), 3) synergistic inhibition of MTORC1, 4) synergistic inhibition of ESR1, and 5) synergistic inhibition of CYCLIN D. Our approach offers a mechanistic understanding of the efficacy of drug combinations and provides direction for selecting potential drug pairs worthy of further laboratory investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kittisak Taoma
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
- School of Information Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Marasri Ruengjitchatchawalya
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
- Biotechnology Program, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Monrudee Liangruksa
- National Nanotechnology Center, National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Teeraphan Laomettachit
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
- Theoretical and Computational Physics Group, Center of Excellence in Theoretical and Computational Science, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
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24
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Karlebach G, Robinson PN. Computing Minimal Boolean Models of Gene Regulatory Networks. J Comput Biol 2024; 31:117-127. [PMID: 37889991 DOI: 10.1089/cmb.2023.0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Models of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) capture the dynamics of the regulatory processes that occur within the cell as a means to understanding the variability observed in gene expression between different conditions. Arguably the simplest mathematical construct used for modeling is the Boolean network, which dictates a set of logical rules for transition between states described as Boolean vectors. Due to the complexity of gene regulation and the limitations of experimental technologies, in most cases knowledge about regulatory interactions and Boolean states is partial. In addition, the logical rules themselves are not known a priori. Our goal in this work is to create an algorithm that finds the network that fits the data optimally, and identify the network states that correspond to the noise-free data. We present a novel methodology for integrating experimental data and performing a search for the optimal consistent structure via optimization of a linear objective function under a set of linear constraints. In addition, we extend our methodology into a heuristic that alleviates the computational complexity of the problem for datasets that are generated by single-cell RNA-Sequencing (scRNA-Seq). We demonstrate the effectiveness of these tools using simulated data, and in addition a publicly available scRNA-Seq dataset and the GRN that is associated with it. Our methodology will enable researchers to obtain a better understanding of the dynamics of GRNs and their biological role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy Karlebach
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Peter N Robinson
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
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25
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Vághy MA, Otero-Muras I, Pájaro M, Szederkényi G. A Kinetic Finite Volume Discretization of the Multidimensional PIDE Model for Gene Regulatory Networks. Bull Math Biol 2024; 86:22. [PMID: 38253903 PMCID: PMC10803439 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-023-01251-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
In this paper, a finite volume discretization scheme for partial integro-differential equations (PIDEs) describing the temporal evolution of protein distribution in gene regulatory networks is proposed. It is shown that the obtained set of ODEs can be formally represented as a compartmental kinetic system with a strongly connected reaction graph. This allows the application of the theory of nonnegative and compartmental systems for the qualitative analysis of the approximating dynamics. In this framework, it is straightforward to show the existence, uniqueness and stability of equilibria. Moreover, the computation of the stationary probability distribution can be traced back to the solution of linear equations. The discretization scheme is presented for one and multiple dimensional models separately. Illustrative computational examples show the precision of the approach, and good agreement with previous results in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihály A Vághy
- Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Práter u. 50/a, Budapest, 1083, Hungary.
| | - Irene Otero-Muras
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, Spanish Council for Scientific Research, Carrer del Catedràtic Agustín Escardino Benlloch, 46980, Valencia, Spain
| | - Manuel Pájaro
- Department of Mathematics, Escola Superior de Enxeñaría Informática, University of Vigo, Campus Ourense, 32004, Ourense, Spain
| | - Gábor Szederkényi
- Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Práter u. 50/a, Budapest, 1083, Hungary
- Systems and Control Laboratory, ELKH Institute for Computer Science and Control (SZTAKI), Kende u. 13-17, Budapest, 1111, Hungary
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26
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Kadelka C, Butrie TM, Hilton E, Kinseth J, Schmidt A, Serdarevic H. A meta-analysis of Boolean network models reveals design principles of gene regulatory networks. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj0822. [PMID: 38215198 PMCID: PMC10786419 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj0822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) play a central role in cellular decision-making. Understanding their structure and how it impacts their dynamics constitutes thus a fundamental biological question. GRNs are frequently modeled as Boolean networks, which are intuitive, simple to describe, and can yield qualitative results even when data are sparse. We assembled the largest repository of expert-curated Boolean GRN models. A meta-analysis of this diverse set of models reveals several design principles. GRNs exhibit more canalization, redundancy, and stable dynamics than expected. Moreover, they are enriched for certain recurring network motifs. This raises the important question why evolution favors these design mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus Kadelka
- Department of Mathematics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | | | - Evan Hilton
- Department of Computer Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Jack Kinseth
- Department of Mathematics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Addison Schmidt
- Department of Computer Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Haris Serdarevic
- Department of Mathematics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
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27
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Hou D, Lin H, Feng Y, Zhou K, Li X, Yang Y, Wang S, Yang X, Wang J, Zhao H, Zhang X, Fan J, Lu S, Wang D, Zhu L, Ju D, Chen YZ, Zeng X. CMAUP database update 2024: extended functional and association information of useful plants for biomedical research. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:D1508-D1518. [PMID: 37897343 PMCID: PMC10767869 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of the collective activities of individual plants together with the derived clinical effects and targeted disease associations is useful for plant-based biomedical research. To provide the information in complement to the established databases, we introduced a major update of CMAUP database, previously featured in NAR. This update includes (i) human transcriptomic changes overlapping with 1152 targets of 5765 individual plants, covering 74 diseases from 20 027 patient samples; (ii) clinical information for 185 individual plants in 691 clinical trials; (iii) drug development information for 4694 drug-producing plants with metabolites developed into approved or clinical trial drugs; (iv) plant and human disease associations (428 737 associations by target, 220 935 reversion of transcriptomic changes, 764 and 154121 associations by clinical trials of individual plants and plant ingredients); (v) the location of individual plants in the phylogenetic tree for navigating taxonomic neighbors, (vi) DNA barcodes of 3949 plants, (vii) predicted human oral bioavailability of plant ingredients by the established SwissADME and HobPre algorithm, (viii) 21-107% increase of CMAUP data over the previous version to cover 60 222 chemical ingredients, 7865 plants, 758 targets, 1399 diseases, 238 KEGG human pathways, 3013 gene ontologies and 1203 disease ontologies. CMAUP update version is freely accessible at https://bidd.group/CMAUP/index.html.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongyue Hou
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hanbo Lin
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yuhan Feng
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Kaicheng Zhou
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xingxiu Li
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yuan Yang
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Shuaiqi Wang
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xue Yang
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jiayu Wang
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hui Zhao
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xuyao Zhang
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jiajun Fan
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - SongLin Lu
- The State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Dan Wang
- Qian Xuesen Collaborative Research Center of Astrochemistry and Space Life Sciences, Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Lyuhan Zhu
- Qian Xuesen Collaborative Research Center of Astrochemistry and Space Life Sciences, Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Dianwen Ju
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yu Zong Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Qian Xuesen Collaborative Research Center of Astrochemistry and Space Life Sciences, Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Xian Zeng
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, Fudan University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai 201203, China
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28
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Hu Q, Zhang XD. Fundamental patterns of signal propagation in complex networks. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2024; 34:013149. [PMID: 38285726 DOI: 10.1063/5.0180450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Various disasters stem from minor perturbations, such as the spread of infectious diseases and cascading failure in power grids. Analyzing perturbations is crucial for both theoretical and application fields. Previous researchers have proposed basic propagation patterns for perturbation and explored the impact of basic network motifs on the collective response to these perturbations. However, the current framework is limited in its ability to decouple interactions and, therefore, cannot analyze more complex structures. In this article, we establish an effective, robust, and powerful propagation framework under a general dynamic model. This framework reveals classical and dense network motifs that exert critical acceleration on signal propagation, often reducing orders of magnitude compared with conclusions generated by previous work. Moreover, our framework provides a new approach to understand the fundamental principles of complex systems and the negative feedback mechanism, which is of great significance for researching system controlling and network resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qitong Hu
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Funded Key Lab of Scientific and Engineering Computing, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Shanghai Center for Applied Mathematics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xiao-Dong Zhang
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Funded Key Lab of Scientific and Engineering Computing, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Shanghai Center for Applied Mathematics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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29
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Angarita-Rodríguez A, González-Giraldo Y, Rubio-Mesa JJ, Aristizábal AF, Pinzón A, González J. Control Theory and Systems Biology: Potential Applications in Neurodegeneration and Search for Therapeutic Targets. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:365. [PMID: 38203536 PMCID: PMC10778851 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Control theory, a well-established discipline in engineering and mathematics, has found novel applications in systems biology. This interdisciplinary approach leverages the principles of feedback control and regulation to gain insights into the complex dynamics of cellular and molecular networks underlying chronic diseases, including neurodegeneration. By modeling and analyzing these intricate systems, control theory provides a framework to understand the pathophysiology and identify potential therapeutic targets. Therefore, this review examines the most widely used control methods in conjunction with genomic-scale metabolic models in the steady state of the multi-omics type. According to our research, this approach involves integrating experimental data, mathematical modeling, and computational analyses to simulate and control complex biological systems. In this review, we find that the most significant application of this methodology is associated with cancer, leaving a lack of knowledge in neurodegenerative models. However, this methodology, mainly associated with the Minimal Dominant Set (MDS), has provided a starting point for identifying therapeutic targets for drug development and personalized treatment strategies, paving the way for more effective therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Angarita-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Nutrición y Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Edf. Carlos Ortiz, Oficina 107, Cra. 7 40-62, Bogotá 110231, Colombia; (A.A.-R.); (Y.G.-G.); (A.F.A.)
- Laboratorio de Bioinformática y Biología de Sistemas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 111321, Colombia;
| | - Yeimy González-Giraldo
- Departamento de Nutrición y Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Edf. Carlos Ortiz, Oficina 107, Cra. 7 40-62, Bogotá 110231, Colombia; (A.A.-R.); (Y.G.-G.); (A.F.A.)
| | - Juan J. Rubio-Mesa
- Departamento de Estadística, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 111321, Colombia;
| | - Andrés Felipe Aristizábal
- Departamento de Nutrición y Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Edf. Carlos Ortiz, Oficina 107, Cra. 7 40-62, Bogotá 110231, Colombia; (A.A.-R.); (Y.G.-G.); (A.F.A.)
| | - Andrés Pinzón
- Laboratorio de Bioinformática y Biología de Sistemas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 111321, Colombia;
| | - Janneth González
- Departamento de Nutrición y Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Edf. Carlos Ortiz, Oficina 107, Cra. 7 40-62, Bogotá 110231, Colombia; (A.A.-R.); (Y.G.-G.); (A.F.A.)
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30
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Mentis AFA, Papavassiliou KA, Papavassiliou AG. DNA origami: a tool to evaluate and harness transcription factors. J Mol Med (Berl) 2023; 101:1493-1498. [PMID: 37813986 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-023-02380-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Alongside other players, such as CpG methylation and the "histone code," transcription factors (TFs) represent a key feature of gene regulation. TFs are implicated in critical cellular processes, ranging from cell death, growth, and differentiation, up to intranuclear signaling of steroid and other hormones, physical entities, and hypoxia regulation. Notwithstanding an extensive body of research in this field, several questions and therapeutic options remain unanswered and unexplored, respectively. Of note, many of these TFs represent therapeutic targets, which are either difficult to be pharmacologically tackled or are still not drugged via traditional approaches, such as small-molecule inhibition. Upon providing a brief overview of TFs, we focus herein on how synthetic biology/medicine could assist in their study as well as their therapeutic targeting. Specifically, we contend that DNA origami, i.e., a novel synthetic DNA nanotechnological approach, represents an excellent synthetic biology/medicine tool to accomplish the above goals, since it can harness several vital characteristics of DNA: DNA polymerization, DNA complementarity, DNA "programmability," and DNA "editability." In doing so, DNA origami can be applied to study TF dynamics during DNA transcription, to elucidate xeno-nucleic acids with distinct scaffolds and unconventional base pairs, and to use TFs as competitors of oncogene-engaged promoters. Overall, because of their potential for high-throughput design and their favorable pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties, DNA origami can be a novel armory for TF-related drug design. Last, we discuss future trends in the field, such as RNA origami and innovative DNA origami-based therapeutic delivery approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kostas A Papavassiliou
- First University Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sotiria' Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Athanasios G Papavassiliou
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, 11527, Greece.
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31
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Kaizu K, Takahashi K. Technologies for whole-cell modeling: Genome-wide reconstruction of a cell in silico. Dev Growth Differ 2023; 65:554-564. [PMID: 37856476 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
With advances in high-throughput, large-scale in vivo measurement and genome modification techniques at the single-nucleotide level, there is an increasing demand for the development of new technologies for the flexible design and control of cellular systems. Computer-aided design is a powerful tool to design new cells. Whole-cell modeling aims to integrate various cellular subsystems, determine their interactions and cooperative mechanisms, and predict comprehensive cellular behaviors by computational simulations on a genome-wide scale. It has been applied to prokaryotes, yeasts, and higher eukaryotic cells, and utilized in a wide range of applications, including production of valuable substances, drug discovery, and controlled differentiation. Whole-cell modeling, consisting of several thousand elements with diverse scales and properties, requires innovative model construction, simulation, and analysis techniques. Furthermore, whole-cell modeling has been extended to multiple scales, including high-resolution modeling at the single-nucleotide and single-amino acid levels and multicellular modeling of tissues and organs. This review presents an overview of the current state of whole-cell modeling, discusses the novel computational and experimental technologies driving it, and introduces further developments toward multihierarchical modeling on a whole-genome scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazunari Kaizu
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Osaka, Japan
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32
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Jiang Z, Chen C, Xu Z, Wang X, Zhang M, Zhang D. SIGNET: transcriptome-wide causal inference for gene regulatory networks. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19371. [PMID: 37938594 PMCID: PMC10632394 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46295-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene regulation plays an important role in understanding the mechanisms of human biology and diseases. However, inferring causal relationships between all genes is challenging due to the large number of genes in the transcriptome. Here, we present SIGNET (Statistical Inference on Gene Regulatory Networks), a flexible software package that reveals networks of causal regulation between genes built upon large-scale transcriptomic and genotypic data at the population level. Like Mendelian randomization, SIGNET uses genotypic variants as natural instrumental variables to establish such causal relationships but constructs a transcriptome-wide gene regulatory network with high confidence. SIGNET makes such a computationally heavy task feasible by deploying a well-designed statistical algorithm over a parallel computing environment. It also provides a user-friendly interface allowing for parameter tuning, efficient parallel computing scheduling, interactive network visualization, and confirmatory results retrieval. The Open source SIGNET software is freely available ( https://www.zstats.org/signet/ ).
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongli Jiang
- Department of Statistics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | | | - Zhenyu Xu
- Department of Statistics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | | | - Min Zhang
- Department of Statistics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92617, USA
| | - Dabao Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92617, USA.
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33
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Romero-Arias JR, González-Castro CA, Ramírez-Santiago G. A multiscale model of the role of microenvironmental factors in cell segregation and heterogeneity in breast cancer development. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011673. [PMID: 37992135 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
We analyzed a quantitative multiscale model that describes the epigenetic dynamics during the growth and evolution of an avascular tumor. A gene regulatory network (GRN) formed by a set of ten genes that are believed to play an important role in breast cancer development was kinetically coupled to the microenvironmental agents: glucose, estrogens, and oxygen. The dynamics of spontaneous mutations was described by a Yule-Furry master equation whose solution represents the probability that a given cell in the tissue undergoes a certain number of mutations at a given time. We assumed that the mutation rate is modified by a spatial gradient of nutrients. The tumor mass was simulated by means of cellular automata supplemented with a set of reaction diffusion equations that described the transport of microenvironmental agents. By analyzing the epigenetic state space described by the GRN dynamics, we found three attractors that were identified with cellular epigenetic states: normal, precancer and cancer. For two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) tumors we calculated the spatial distribution of the following quantities: (i) number of mutations, (ii) mutation of each gene and, (iii) phenotypes. Using estrogen as the principal microenvironmental agent that regulates cell proliferation process, we obtained tumor shapes for different values of estrogen consumption and supply rates. It was found that he majority of mutations occurred in cells that were located close to the 2D tumor perimeter or close to the 3D tumor surface. Also, it was found that the occurrence of different phenotypes in the tumor are controlled by estrogen concentration levels since they can change the individual cell threshold and gene expression levels. All results were consistently observed for 2D and 3D tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Roberto Romero-Arias
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Matemáticas Aplicadas y en Sistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
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Kim D, Tran A, Kim HJ, Lin Y, Yang JYH, Yang P. Gene regulatory network reconstruction: harnessing the power of single-cell multi-omic data. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2023; 9:51. [PMID: 37857632 PMCID: PMC10587078 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-023-00312-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Inferring gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is a fundamental challenge in biology that aims to unravel the complex relationships between genes and their regulators. Deciphering these networks plays a critical role in understanding the underlying regulatory crosstalk that drives many cellular processes and diseases. Recent advances in sequencing technology have led to the development of state-of-the-art GRN inference methods that exploit matched single-cell multi-omic data. By employing diverse mathematical and statistical methodologies, these methods aim to reconstruct more comprehensive and precise gene regulatory networks. In this review, we give a brief overview on the statistical and methodological foundations commonly used in GRN inference methods. We then compare and contrast the latest state-of-the-art GRN inference methods for single-cell matched multi-omics data, and discuss their assumptions, limitations and opportunities. Finally, we discuss the challenges and future directions that hold promise for further advancements in this rapidly developing field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kim
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Computational Systems Biology Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Precision Data Science Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Andy Tran
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Precision Data Science Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Hani Jieun Kim
- Computational Systems Biology Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Precision Data Science Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Yingxin Lin
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Precision Data Science Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Jean Yee Hwa Yang
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
- Sydney Precision Data Science Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
- Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
| | - Pengyi Yang
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
- Computational Systems Biology Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
- Sydney Precision Data Science Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
- Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
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35
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Shi C, Yang X, Zhang J, Zhou T. Stochastic modeling of the mRNA life process: A generalized master equation. Biophys J 2023; 122:4023-4041. [PMID: 37653725 PMCID: PMC10598292 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The mRNA life cycle is a complex biochemical process, involving transcription initiation, elongation, termination, splicing, and degradation. Each of these molecular events is multistep and can create a memory. The effect of this molecular memory on gene expression is not clear, although there are many related yet scattered experimental reports. To address this important issue, we develop a general theoretical framework formulated as a master equation in the sense of queue theory, which can reduce to multiple previously studied gene models in limiting cases. This framework allows us to interpret experimental observations, extract kinetic parameters from experimental data, and identify how the mRNA kinetics vary under regulatory influences. Notably, it allows us to evaluate the influences of elongation processes on mature RNA distribution; e.g., we find that the non-exponential elongation time can induce the bimodal mRNA expression and there is an optimal elongation noise intensity such that the mature RNA noise achieves the lowest level. In a word, our framework can not only provide insight into complex mRNA life processes but also bridge a dialogue between theoretical studies and experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changhong Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiyan Yang
- School of Financial Mathematics and Statistics, Guangdong University of Finance, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiajun Zhang
- School of Mathematics and Computational Science and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Computational Science, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Tianshou Zhou
- School of Mathematics and Computational Science and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Computational Science, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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36
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Velten B, Stegle O. Principles and challenges of modeling temporal and spatial omics data. Nat Methods 2023; 20:1462-1474. [PMID: 37710019 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-023-01992-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Studies with temporal or spatial resolution are crucial to understand the molecular dynamics and spatial dependencies underlying a biological process or system. With advances in high-throughput omic technologies, time- and space-resolved molecular measurements at scale are increasingly accessible, providing new opportunities to study the role of timing or structure in a wide range of biological questions. At the same time, analyses of the data being generated in the context of spatiotemporal studies entail new challenges that need to be considered, including the need to account for temporal and spatial dependencies and compare them across different scales, biological samples or conditions. In this Review, we provide an overview of common principles and challenges in the analysis of temporal and spatial omics data. We discuss statistical concepts to model temporal and spatial dependencies and highlight opportunities for adapting existing analysis methods to data with temporal and spatial dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britta Velten
- Division of Computational Genomics and Systems Genetics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Cellular Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.
- Centre for Organismal Studies (COS) and Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Oliver Stegle
- Division of Computational Genomics and Systems Genetics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Cellular Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.
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37
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Gote C, Casiraghi G, Schweitzer F, Scholtes I. Predicting variable-length paths in networked systems using multi-order generative models. APPLIED NETWORK SCIENCE 2023; 8:68. [PMID: 37745796 PMCID: PMC10516819 DOI: 10.1007/s41109-023-00596-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Apart from nodes and links, for many networked systems, we have access to data on paths, i.e., collections of temporally ordered variable-length node sequences that are constrained by the system's topology. Understanding the patterns in such data is key to advancing our understanding of the structure and dynamics of complex systems. Moreover, the ability to accurately model and predict paths is important for engineered systems, e.g., to optimise supply chains or provide smart mobility services. Here, we introduce MOGen, a generative modelling framework that enables both next-element and out-of-sample prediction in paths with high accuracy and consistency. It features a model selection approach that automatically determines the optimal model directly from data, effectively making MOGen parameter-free. Using empirical data, we show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art sequence modelling techniques. We further introduce a mathematical formalism that links higher-order models of paths to transition matrices of random walks in multi-layer networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Gote
- Chair of Systems Design, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Chair for Machine Learning for Complex Networks, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Data Analytics Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Ingo Scholtes
- Chair for Machine Learning for Complex Networks, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Data Analytics Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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38
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Naderi Yeganeh P, Teo YY, Karagkouni D, Pita-Juárez Y, Morgan SL, Slack FJ, Vlachos IS, Hide WA. PanomiR: a systems biology framework for analysis of multi-pathway targeting by miRNAs. Brief Bioinform 2023; 24:bbad418. [PMID: 37985452 PMCID: PMC10661971 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbad418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Charting microRNA (miRNA) regulation across pathways is key to characterizing their function. Yet, no method currently exists that can quantify how miRNAs regulate multiple interconnected pathways or prioritize them for their ability to regulate coordinate transcriptional programs. Existing methods primarily infer one-to-one relationships between miRNAs and pathways using differentially expressed genes. We introduce PanomiR, an in silico framework for studying the interplay of miRNAs and disease functions. PanomiR integrates gene expression, mRNA-miRNA interactions and known biological pathways to reveal coordinated multi-pathway targeting by miRNAs. PanomiR utilizes pathway-activity profiling approaches, a pathway co-expression network and network clustering algorithms to prioritize miRNAs that target broad-scale transcriptional disease phenotypes. It directly resolves differential regulation of pathways, irrespective of their differential gene expression, and captures co-activity to establish functional pathway groupings and the miRNAs that may regulate them. PanomiR uses a systems biology approach to provide broad but precise insights into miRNA-regulated functional programs. It is available at https://bioconductor.org/packages/PanomiR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pourya Naderi Yeganeh
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School Initiative for RNA Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yue Y Teo
- National University of Singapore, Singapore
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dimitra Karagkouni
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School Initiative for RNA Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yered Pita-Juárez
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School Initiative for RNA Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sarah L Morgan
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AT, UK
| | - Frank J Slack
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School Initiative for RNA Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ioannis S Vlachos
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School Initiative for RNA Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Winston A Hide
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School Initiative for RNA Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
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39
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Zhao J, Wong CW, Ching WK, Cheng X. NG-SEM: an effective non-Gaussian structural equation modeling framework for gene regulatory network inference from single-cell RNA-seq data. Brief Bioinform 2023; 24:bbad369. [PMID: 37864293 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbad369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Inference of gene regulatory network (GRN) from gene expression profiles has been a central problem in systems biology and bioinformatics in the past decades. The tremendous emergency of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data brings new opportunities and challenges for GRN inference: the extensive dropouts and complicated noise structure may also degrade the performance of contemporary gene regulatory models. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop more accurate methods for gene regulatory network inference in single-cell data while considering the noise structure at the same time. In this paper, we extend the traditional structural equation modeling (SEM) framework by considering a flexible noise modeling strategy, namely we use the Gaussian mixtures to approximate the complex stochastic nature of a biological system, since the Gaussian mixture framework can be arguably served as a universal approximation for any continuous distributions. The proposed non-Gaussian SEM framework is called NG-SEM, which can be optimized by iteratively performing Expectation-Maximization algorithm and weighted least-squares method. Moreover, the Akaike Information Criteria is adopted to select the number of components of the Gaussian mixture. To probe the accuracy and stability of our proposed method, we design a comprehensive variate of control experiments to systematically investigate the performance of NG-SEM under various conditions, including simulations and real biological data sets. Results on synthetic data demonstrate that this strategy can improve the performance of traditional Gaussian SEM model and results on real biological data sets verify that NG-SEM outperforms other five state-of-the-art methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Zhao
- Department of Mathematics, The University of Hongkong, Pokfulam road, Hong Kong
| | - Chi-Wing Wong
- Department of Mathematics, The University of Hongkong, Pokfulam road, Hong Kong
| | - Wai-Ki Ching
- Department of Mathematics, The University of Hongkong, Pokfulam road, Hong Kong
| | - Xiaoqing Cheng
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ShaanXi, China
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40
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Ellis GFR. Efficient, Formal, Material, and Final Causes in Biology and Technology. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 25:1301. [PMID: 37761600 PMCID: PMC10529506 DOI: 10.3390/e25091301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
This paper considers how a classification of causal effects as comprising efficient, formal, material, and final causation can provide a useful understanding of how emergence takes place in biology and technology, with formal, material, and final causation all including cases of downward causation; they each occur in both synchronic and diachronic forms. Taken together, they underlie why all emergent levels in the hierarchy of emergence have causal powers (which is Noble's principle of biological relativity) and so why causal closure only occurs when the upwards and downwards interactions between all emergent levels are taken into account, contra to claims that some underlying physics level is by itself causality complete. A key feature is that stochasticity at the molecular level plays an important role in enabling agency to emerge, underlying the possibility of final causation occurring in these contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- George F R Ellis
- Mathematics Department, The New Institute, University of Cape Town, 20354 Hamburg, Germany
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41
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Marino A, Sinaimeri B, Tronci E, Calamoneri T. STARGATE-X: a Python package for statistical analysis on the REACTOME network. J Integr Bioinform 2023; 20:jib-2022-0029. [PMID: 37732505 PMCID: PMC10757075 DOI: 10.1515/jib-2022-0029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Many important aspects of biological knowledge at the molecular level can be represented by pathways. Through their analysis, we gain mechanistic insights and interpret lists of interesting genes from experiments (usually omics and functional genomic experiments). As a result, pathways play a central role in the development of bioinformatics methods and tools for computing predictions from known molecular-level mechanisms. Qualitative as well as quantitative knowledge about pathways can be effectively represented through biochemical networks linking the biochemical reactions and the compounds (e.g., proteins) occurring in the considered pathways. So, repositories providing biochemical networks for known pathways play a central role in bioinformatics and in systems biology. Here we focus on Reactome, a free, comprehensive, and widely used repository for biochemical networks and pathways. In this paper, we: (1) introduce a tool StARGate-X (STatistical Analysis of the Reactome multi-GrAph Through nEtworkX) to carry out an automated analysis of the connectivity properties of Reactome biochemical reaction network and of its biological hierarchy (i.e., cell compartments, namely, the closed parts within the cytosol, usually surrounded by a membrane); the code is freely available at https://github.com/marinoandrea/stargate-x; (2) show the effectiveness of our tool by providing an analysis of the Reactome network, in terms of centrality measures, with respect to in- and out-degree. As an example of usage of StARGate-X, we provide a detailed automated analysis of the Reactome network, in terms of centrality measures. We focus both on the subgraphs induced by single compartments and on the graph whose nodes are the strongly connected components. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first freely available tool that enables automatic analysis of the large biochemical network within Reactome through easy-to-use APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Marino
- Computer Science Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Enrico Tronci
- Computer Science Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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42
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Wang L, Trasanidis N, Wu T, Dong G, Hu M, Bauer DE, Pinello L. Dictys: dynamic gene regulatory network dissects developmental continuum with single-cell multiomics. Nat Methods 2023; 20:1368-1378. [PMID: 37537351 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-023-01971-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) are key determinants of cell function and identity and are dynamically rewired during development and disease. Despite decades of advancement, challenges remain in GRN inference, including dynamic rewiring, causal inference, feedback loop modeling and context specificity. To address these challenges, we develop Dictys, a dynamic GRN inference and analysis method that leverages multiomic single-cell assays of chromatin accessibility and gene expression, context-specific transcription factor footprinting, stochastic process network and efficient probabilistic modeling of single-cell RNA-sequencing read counts. Dictys improves GRN reconstruction accuracy and reproducibility and enables the inference and comparative analysis of context-specific and dynamic GRNs across developmental contexts. Dictys' network analyses recover unique insights in human blood and mouse skin development with cell-type-specific and dynamic GRNs. Its dynamic network visualizations enable time-resolved discovery and investigation of developmental driver transcription factors and their regulated targets. Dictys is available as a free, open-source and user-friendly Python package.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingfei Wang
- Molecular Pathology Unit and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Gene Regulation Observatory, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nikolaos Trasanidis
- Molecular Pathology Unit and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Hugh and Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, Centre for Haematology, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ting Wu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Guanlan Dong
- Molecular Pathology Unit and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics PhD Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael Hu
- Molecular Pathology Unit and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel E Bauer
- Gene Regulation Observatory, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Luca Pinello
- Molecular Pathology Unit and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Gene Regulation Observatory, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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43
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Zito F, Cutello V, Pavone M. A Machine Learning Approach to Simulate Gene Expression and Infer Gene Regulatory Networks. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 25:1214. [PMID: 37628244 PMCID: PMC10453511 DOI: 10.3390/e25081214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
The ability to simulate gene expression and infer gene regulatory networks has vast potential applications in various fields, including medicine, agriculture, and environmental science. In recent years, machine learning approaches to simulate gene expression and infer gene regulatory networks have gained significant attention as a promising area of research. By simulating gene expression, we can gain insights into the complex mechanisms that control gene expression and how they are affected by various environmental factors. This knowledge can be used to develop new treatments for genetic diseases, improve crop yields, and better understand the evolution of species. In this article, we address this issue by focusing on a novel method capable of simulating the gene expression regulation of a group of genes and their mutual interactions. Our framework enables us to simulate the regulation of gene expression in response to alterations or perturbations that can affect the expression of a gene. We use both artificial and real benchmarks to empirically evaluate the effectiveness of our methodology. Furthermore, we compare our method with existing ones to understand its advantages and disadvantages. We also present future ideas for improvement to enhance the effectiveness of our method. Overall, our approach has the potential to greatly improve the field of gene expression simulation and gene regulatory network inference, possibly leading to significant advancements in genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mario Pavone
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
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44
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Miotto M, Rosito M, Paoluzzi M, de Turris V, Folli V, Leonetti M, Ruocco G, Rosa A, Gosti G. Collective behavior and self-organization in neural rosette morphogenesis. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1134091. [PMID: 37635866 PMCID: PMC10448396 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1134091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural rosettes develop from the self-organization of differentiating human pluripotent stem cells. This process mimics the emergence of the embryonic central nervous system primordium, i.e., the neural tube, whose formation is under close investigation as errors during such process result in severe diseases like spina bifida and anencephaly. While neural tube formation is recognized as an example of self-organization, we still do not understand the fundamental mechanisms guiding the process. Here, we discuss the different theoretical frameworks that have been proposed to explain self-organization in morphogenesis. We show that an explanation based exclusively on stem cell differentiation cannot describe the emergence of spatial organization, and an explanation based on patterning models cannot explain how different groups of cells can collectively migrate and produce the mechanical transformations required to generate the neural tube. We conclude that neural rosette development is a relevant experimental 2D in-vitro model of morphogenesis because it is a multi-scale self-organization process that involves both cell differentiation and tissue development. Ultimately, to understand rosette formation, we first need to fully understand the complex interplay between growth, migration, cytoarchitecture organization, and cell type evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Miotto
- Center for Life Nano and Neuro Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Rosito
- Center for Life Nano and Neuro Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology V. Erspamer, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Paoluzzi
- Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Valeria de Turris
- Center for Life Nano and Neuro Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Viola Folli
- Center for Life Nano and Neuro Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
- D-TAILS srl, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Leonetti
- Center for Life Nano and Neuro Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
- D-TAILS srl, Rome, Italy
- Soft and Living Matter Laboratory, Institute of Nanotechnology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Ruocco
- Center for Life Nano and Neuro Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rosa
- Center for Life Nano and Neuro Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgio Gosti
- Center for Life Nano and Neuro Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
- Soft and Living Matter Laboratory, Institute of Nanotechnology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, Italy
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45
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Li R, Rozum JC, Quail MM, Qasim MN, Sindi SS, Nobile CJ, Albert R, Hernday AD. Inferring gene regulatory networks using transcriptional profiles as dynamical attractors. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010991. [PMID: 37607190 PMCID: PMC10473541 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruihao Li
- Quantitative and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, United States of America
| | - Jordan C. Rozum
- Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, Binghamton University (State University of New York), Binghamton, New York, United States of America
| | - Morgan M. Quail
- Quantitative and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, United States of America
| | - Mohammad N. Qasim
- Quantitative and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, United States of America
| | - Suzanne S. Sindi
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, United States of America
| | - Clarissa J. Nobile
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, United States of America
- Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, United States of America
| | - Réka Albert
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Aaron D. Hernday
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, United States of America
- Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, United States of America
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46
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Kırboğa KK, Abbasi S, Küçüksille EU. Explainability and white box in drug discovery. Chem Biol Drug Des 2023; 102:217-233. [PMID: 37105727 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.14262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have been increasingly used to overcome the challenges in drug discovery. Although traditional AI techniques generally have high accuracy rates, there may be difficulties in explaining the decision process and patterns. This can create difficulties in understanding and making sense of the outputs of algorithms used in drug discovery. Therefore, using explainable AI (XAI) techniques, the causes and consequences of the decision process are better understood. This can help further improve the drug discovery process and make the right decisions. To address this issue, Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) emerged as a process and method that securely captures the results and outputs of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) algorithms. Using techniques such as SHAP (SHApley Additive ExPlanations) and LIME (Locally Interpretable Model-Independent Explanations) has made the drug targeting phase clearer and more understandable. XAI methods are expected to reduce time and cost in future computational drug discovery studies. This review provides a comprehensive overview of XAI-based drug discovery and development prediction. XAI mechanisms to increase confidence in AI and modeling methods. The limitations and future directions of XAI in drug discovery are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevser Kübra Kırboğa
- Bioengineering Department, Bilecik Seyh Edebali University, Bilecik, Turkey
- Informatics Institute, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, Turkey
| | - Sumra Abbasi
- Department of Biological Sciences, National of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Ecir Uğur Küçüksille
- Department of Computer Engineering, Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey
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47
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Dong M, He Y, Jiang Y, Zou F. Joint gene network construction by single-cell RNA sequencing data. Biometrics 2023; 79:915-925. [PMID: 35184277 PMCID: PMC10548400 DOI: 10.1111/biom.13645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In contrast to differential gene expression analysis at the single-gene level, gene regulatory network (GRN) analysis depicts complex transcriptomic interactions among genes for better understandings of underlying genetic architectures of human diseases and traits. Recent advances in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) allow constructing GRNs at a much finer resolution than bulk RNA-seq and microarray data. However, scRNA-seq data are inherently sparse, which hinders the direct application of the popular Gaussian graphical models (GGMs). Furthermore, most existing approaches for constructing GRNs with scRNA-seq data only consider gene networks under one condition. To better understand GRNs across different but related conditions at single-cell resolution, we propose to construct Joint Gene Networks with scRNA-seq data (JGNsc) under the GGMs framework. To facilitate the use of GGMs, JGNsc first proposes a hybrid imputation procedure that combines a Bayesian zero-inflated Poisson model with an iterative low-rank matrix completion step to efficiently impute zero-inflated counts resulted from technical artifacts. JGNsc then transforms the imputed data via a nonparanormal transformation, based on which joint GGMs are constructed. We demonstrate JGNsc and assess its performance using synthetic data. The application of JGNsc on two cancer clinical studies of medulloblastoma and glioblastoma gains novel insights in addition to confirming well-known biological results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meichen Dong
- Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Yiping He
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Yuchao Jiang
- Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Fei Zou
- Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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48
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Tekkela S, Theocharidis G, McGrath JA, Onoufriadis A. Spatial transcriptomics in human skin research. Exp Dermatol 2023. [PMID: 37150587 DOI: 10.1111/exd.14827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Spatial transcriptomics is a revolutionary technique that enables researchers to characterise tissue architecture and localisation of gene expression. A plethora of technologies that map gene expression are currently being developed, aiming to facilitate spatially resolved, high-dimensional assessment of gene transcription in the context of human skin research. Knowing which gene is expressed by which cell and in which location within skin, facilitates understanding of skin function and dysfunction in both health and disease. In this review, we summarise the available spatial transcriptomic methods and we describe their application to a broad spectrum of dermatological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stavroula Tekkela
- St John's Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Georgios Theocharidis
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - John A McGrath
- St John's Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alexandros Onoufriadis
- St John's Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, London, UK
- Laboratory of Medical Biology and Genetics, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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49
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Santos-Moreno J, Tasiudi E, Kusumawardhani H, Stelling J, Schaerli Y. Robustness and innovation in synthetic genotype networks. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2454. [PMID: 37117168 PMCID: PMC10147661 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38033-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Genotype networks are sets of genotypes connected by small mutational changes that share the same phenotype. They facilitate evolutionary innovation by enabling the exploration of different neighborhoods in genotype space. Genotype networks, first suggested by theoretical models, have been empirically confirmed for proteins and RNAs. Comparative studies also support their existence for gene regulatory networks (GRNs), but direct experimental evidence is lacking. Here, we report the construction of three interconnected genotype networks of synthetic GRNs producing three distinct phenotypes in Escherichia coli. Our synthetic GRNs contain three nodes regulating each other by CRISPR interference and governing the expression of fluorescent reporters. The genotype networks, composed of over twenty different synthetic GRNs, provide robustness in face of mutations while enabling transitions to innovative phenotypes. Through realistic mathematical modeling, we quantify robustness and evolvability for the complete genotype-phenotype map and link these features mechanistically to GRN motifs. Our work thereby exemplifies how GRN evolution along genotype networks might be driving evolutionary innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Santos-Moreno
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Biophore Building, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University, 00803, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eve Tasiudi
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Hadiastri Kusumawardhani
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Biophore Building, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Joerg Stelling
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Yolanda Schaerli
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Biophore Building, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Pandey AK, Loscalzo J. Network medicine: an approach to complex kidney disease phenotypes. Nat Rev Nephrol 2023:10.1038/s41581-023-00705-0. [PMID: 37041415 DOI: 10.1038/s41581-023-00705-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Scientific reductionism has been the basis of disease classification and understanding for more than a century. However, the reductionist approach of characterizing diseases from a limited set of clinical observations and laboratory evaluations has proven insufficient in the face of an exponential growth in data generated from transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and deep phenotyping. A new systematic method is necessary to organize these datasets and build new definitions of what constitutes a disease that incorporates both biological and environmental factors to more precisely describe the ever-growing complexity of phenotypes and their underlying molecular determinants. Network medicine provides such a conceptual framework to bridge these vast quantities of data while providing an individualized understanding of disease. The modern application of network medicine principles is yielding new insights into the pathobiology of chronic kidney diseases and renovascular disorders by expanding the understanding of pathogenic mediators, novel biomarkers and new options for renal therapeutics. These efforts affirm network medicine as a robust paradigm for elucidating new advances in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arvind K Pandey
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph Loscalzo
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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