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Loss of Conservation of Graph Centralities in Reverse-engineered Transcriptional Regulatory Networks
Uppsala University, Sweden. (MAM)
Uppsala University, Sweden.
Mälardalen University, School of Education, Culture and Communication, Educational Sciences and Mathematics. (MAM)ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1624-5147
Uppsala University, Sweden.
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2017 (English)In: Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability, ISSN 1387-5841, E-ISSN 1573-7713, ISSN 1387-5841, Vol. 19, no 4, p. 1095-1105Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Graph centralities are commonly used to identify and prioritize disease genes in transcriptional regulatory networks. Studies on small networks of experimentally validated protein-protein interactions underpin the general validity of this approach and extensions of such findings have recently been proposed for networks inferred from gene expression data. However, it is largely unknown how well gene centralities are preserved between the underlying biological interactions and the networks inferred from gene expression data. Specifically, while previous studies have evaluated the performance of inference methods on synthetic gene expression, it has not been established how the choice of inference method affects individual centralities in the network. Here, we compare two gene centrality measures between reference networks and networks inferred from corresponding simulated gene expression data, using a number of commonly used network inference methods. The results indicate that the centrality of genes is only moderately conserved for all of the inference methods used. In conclusion, caution should be exercised when inspecting centralities in reverse-engineered networks and further work will be required to establish the use of such networks for prioritizing disease genes.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer, 2017. Vol. 19, no 4, p. 1095-1105
Keywords [en]
Transcriptional regulatory network inference,  Simulated gene expression,  Graph centrality
National Category
Probability Theory and Statistics Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Bioinformatics (Computational Biology)
Research subject
Mathematics/Applied Mathematics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-36593DOI: 10.1007/s11009-017-9554-7ISI: 000413792200006Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85016734266OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mdh-36593DiVA, id: diva2:1145932
Funder
Swedish Childhood Cancer FoundationAvailable from: 2017-09-30 Created: 2017-10-01 Last updated: 2025-02-05Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Graph theory based approaches for gene prioritization in biological networks: Application to cancer gene detection in medulloblastoma
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Graph theory based approaches for gene prioritization in biological networks: Application to cancer gene detection in medulloblastoma
2019 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Networks provide an intuitive and highly adaptable means to model relationships between objects. When translated to mathematical graphs, they become further amenable to a plethora of mathematical operations that allow a detailed study of the underlying relational data. Thus, it is not surprising that networks have evolved to a predominant method for analyzing such data in a vast variety of research fields. However, with increasing complexity of the studied problems, application of network modeling also becomes more challenging. Specifically, given a process to be studied, (i) which interactions are important and how can they be modeled, (ii) how can relationships be inferred from complex and potentially noisy data, and (iii) which methods should be used to test hypotheses or answer the relevant questions? This thesis explores the concept and challenges of network analysis in the context of a well-defined application area, i.e. the prediction of cancer genes from biological networks, with an application to medulloblastoma research.

Medulloblastoma represents the most common malignant brain tumor in children. Currently about 70% of treated patients survive, but they often suffer from permanent cognitive sequelae. Medulloblastoma has previously been shown to harbor at least four distinct molecular subgroups. Related studies have also greatly advanced our understanding of the genetic aberrations associated with MB subgroups. However, to translate such findings to novel and improved therapy options, further insights are required into how the dysregulated genes interact with the rest of the cellular system, how such a cross-talk can drive tumor development, and how the arising tumorigenic processes can be targeted by drugs. Establishing such understanding requires investigations that can address biological processes at a more system-wide level, a task that can be approached through the study of cellular systems as mathematical networks of molecular interactions.

This thesis discusses the identification of cancer genes from a network perspective, where specific focus is placed on one particular type of network, i.e. so called gene regulatory networks that model relationships between genes at the expression level. The thesis outlines the bridge between biological and mathematical network concepts. Specifically, the computational challenge of inferring such networks from molecular data is presented. Mathematical approaches for analyzing these networks are outlined and it is explored how such methods might be affected by network inference. Further focus is placed on dealing with the challenges of establishing a suitable gene expression dataset for network inference in MB. Finally, the thesis is concluded with an application of various network approaches in a hypothesis-driven study in MB, in which various novel candidate genes were prioritized.  

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Västerås: Mälardalens högskola, 2019
Series
Mälardalen University Press Dissertations, ISSN 1651-4238 ; 286
National Category
Mathematics Bioinformatics (Computational Biology)
Research subject
Mathematics/Applied Mathematics
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-42590 (URN)978-91-7485-420-6 (ISBN)
Public defence
2019-03-08, Gamma, Mälardalens högskola, Västerås, 13:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2019-02-06 Created: 2019-02-06 Last updated: 2021-10-11Bibliographically approved

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Engström, ChristopherSilvestrov, Sergei

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