Plato's cave algorithm: inferring functional signaling networks from early gene expression shadows.

Improving the ability to reverse engineer biochemical networks is a major goal of systems biology. Lesions in signaling networks lead to alterations in gene expression, which in principle should allow network reconstruction. However, the information about the activity levels of signaling proteins co...

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Main Authors: Yishai Shimoni, Marc Y Fink, Soon-gang Choi, Stuart C Sealfon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2010-06-01
Series:PLoS Computational Biology
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20585619/pdf/?tool=EBI
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author Yishai Shimoni
Marc Y Fink
Soon-gang Choi
Stuart C Sealfon
author_facet Yishai Shimoni
Marc Y Fink
Soon-gang Choi
Stuart C Sealfon
author_sort Yishai Shimoni
collection DOAJ
description Improving the ability to reverse engineer biochemical networks is a major goal of systems biology. Lesions in signaling networks lead to alterations in gene expression, which in principle should allow network reconstruction. However, the information about the activity levels of signaling proteins conveyed in overall gene expression is limited by the complexity of gene expression dynamics and of regulatory network topology. Two observations provide the basis for overcoming this limitation: a. genes induced without de-novo protein synthesis (early genes) show a linear accumulation of product in the first hour after the change in the cell's state; b. The signaling components in the network largely function in the linear range of their stimulus-response curves. Therefore, unlike most genes or most time points, expression profiles of early genes at an early time point provide direct biochemical assays that represent the activity levels of upstream signaling components. Such expression data provide the basis for an efficient algorithm (Plato's Cave algorithm; PLACA) to reverse engineer functional signaling networks. Unlike conventional reverse engineering algorithms that use steady state values, PLACA uses stimulated early gene expression measurements associated with systematic perturbations of signaling components, without measuring the signaling components themselves. Besides the reverse engineered network, PLACA also identifies the genes detecting the functional interaction, thereby facilitating validation of the predicted functional network. Using simulated datasets, the algorithm is shown to be robust to experimental noise. Using experimental data obtained from gonadotropes, PLACA reverse engineered the interaction network of six perturbed signaling components. The network recapitulated many known interactions and identified novel functional interactions that were validated by further experiment. PLACA uses the results of experiments that are feasible for any signaling network to predict the functional topology of the network and to identify novel relationships.
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spelling doaj.art-b1b652f6d60c4a7aafb8189bc7f47a3e2022-12-21T21:33:04ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Computational Biology1553-734X1553-73582010-06-0166e100082810.1371/journal.pcbi.1000828Plato's cave algorithm: inferring functional signaling networks from early gene expression shadows.Yishai ShimoniMarc Y FinkSoon-gang ChoiStuart C SealfonImproving the ability to reverse engineer biochemical networks is a major goal of systems biology. Lesions in signaling networks lead to alterations in gene expression, which in principle should allow network reconstruction. However, the information about the activity levels of signaling proteins conveyed in overall gene expression is limited by the complexity of gene expression dynamics and of regulatory network topology. Two observations provide the basis for overcoming this limitation: a. genes induced without de-novo protein synthesis (early genes) show a linear accumulation of product in the first hour after the change in the cell's state; b. The signaling components in the network largely function in the linear range of their stimulus-response curves. Therefore, unlike most genes or most time points, expression profiles of early genes at an early time point provide direct biochemical assays that represent the activity levels of upstream signaling components. Such expression data provide the basis for an efficient algorithm (Plato's Cave algorithm; PLACA) to reverse engineer functional signaling networks. Unlike conventional reverse engineering algorithms that use steady state values, PLACA uses stimulated early gene expression measurements associated with systematic perturbations of signaling components, without measuring the signaling components themselves. Besides the reverse engineered network, PLACA also identifies the genes detecting the functional interaction, thereby facilitating validation of the predicted functional network. Using simulated datasets, the algorithm is shown to be robust to experimental noise. Using experimental data obtained from gonadotropes, PLACA reverse engineered the interaction network of six perturbed signaling components. The network recapitulated many known interactions and identified novel functional interactions that were validated by further experiment. PLACA uses the results of experiments that are feasible for any signaling network to predict the functional topology of the network and to identify novel relationships.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20585619/pdf/?tool=EBI
spellingShingle Yishai Shimoni
Marc Y Fink
Soon-gang Choi
Stuart C Sealfon
Plato's cave algorithm: inferring functional signaling networks from early gene expression shadows.
PLoS Computational Biology
title Plato's cave algorithm: inferring functional signaling networks from early gene expression shadows.
title_full Plato's cave algorithm: inferring functional signaling networks from early gene expression shadows.
title_fullStr Plato's cave algorithm: inferring functional signaling networks from early gene expression shadows.
title_full_unstemmed Plato's cave algorithm: inferring functional signaling networks from early gene expression shadows.
title_short Plato's cave algorithm: inferring functional signaling networks from early gene expression shadows.
title_sort plato s cave algorithm inferring functional signaling networks from early gene expression shadows
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20585619/pdf/?tool=EBI
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