Discovering structural cis-regulatory elements by modeling the behaviors of mRNAs.

Gene expression is regulated at each step from chromatin remodeling through translation and degradation. Several known RNA-binding regulatory proteins interact with specific RNA secondary structures in addition to specific nucleotides. To provide a more comprehensive understanding of the regulation of gene expression, we developed an integrative computational approach that leverages functional genomics data and nucleotide sequences to discover RNA secondary structure-defined cis-regulatory elements (SCREs).

TransfactomeDB: a resource for exploring the nucleotide sequence specificity and condition-specific regulatory activity of trans-acting factors.

Accurate and comprehensive information about the nucleotide sequence specificity of trans-acting factors (TFs) is essential for computational and experimental analyses of gene regulatory networks. We present the Yeast Transfactome Database, a repository of sequence specificity models and condition-specific regulatory activities for a large number of DNA- and RNA-binding proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The sequence specificities in TransfactomeDB, represented as position-specific affinity matrices (PSAMs), are directly estimated from genomewide measurements of TF-binding using our previously published MatrixREDUCE algorithm, which is based on a biophysical model.

Predictive modeling of genome-wide mRNA expression: from modules to molecules.

Various algorithms are available for predicting mRNA expression and modeling gene regulatory processes. They differ in whether they rely on the existence of modules of coregulated genes or build a model that applies to all genes, whether they represent regulatory activities as hidden variables or as mRNA levels, and whether they implicitly or explicitly model the complex cis-regulatory logic of multiple interacting transcription factors binding the same DNA. The fact that functional genomics data of different types reflect the same molecular processes provides a natural strategy for integrative computational analysis.

Statistical mechanical modeling of genome-wide transcription factor occupancy data by MatrixREDUCE.

Motivation: Regulation of gene expression by a transcription factor requires physical interaction between the factor and the DNA, which can be described by a statistical mechanical model. Based on this model, we developed the MatrixREDUCE algorithm, which uses genome-wide occupancy data for a transcription factor (e.g.

Profiling condition-specific, genome-wide regulation of mRNA stability in yeast.

The steady-state abundance of an mRNA is determined by the balance between transcription and decay. Although regulation of transcription has been well studied both experimentally and computationally, regulation of transcript stability has received little attention. We developed an algorithm, MatrixREDUCE, that discovers the position-specific affinity matrices for unknown RNA-binding factors and infers their condition-specific activities, using only genomic sequence data and steady-state mRNA expression data as input.

T-profiler: scoring the activity of predefined groups of genes using gene expression data.

One of the key challenges in the analysis of gene expression data is how to relate the expression level of individual genes to the underlying transcriptional programs and cellular state. Here we describe T-profiler, a tool that uses the t-test to score changes in the average activity of predefined groups of genes. The gene groups are defined based on Gene Ontology categorization, ChIP-chip experiments, upstream matches to a consensus transcription factor binding motif or location on the same chromosome.

Defining transcriptional networks through integrative modeling of mRNA expression and transcription factor binding data.

Background: Functional genomics studies are yielding information about regulatory processes in the cell at an unprecedented scale. In the yeast S. cerevisiae, DNA microarrays have not only been used to measure the mRNA abundance for all genes under a variety of conditions but also to determine the occupancy of all promoter regions by a large number of transcription factors.

Identification of genes expressed in C. elegans touch receptor neurons.

The extent of gene regulation in cell differentiation is poorly understood. We previously used saturation mutagenesis to identify 18 genes that are needed for the development and function of a single type of sensory neuron--the touch receptor neuron for gentle touch in Caenorhabditis elegans. One of these genes, mec-3, encodes a transcription factor that controls touch receptor differentiation.

Sister chromatids fail to separate during an induced endoreplication cycle in Drosophila embryos.

When mitosis is bypassed, as in some cancer cells or in natural endocycles, sister chromosomes remain paired and produce four-stranded diplochromosomes or polytene chromosomes. Cyclin/Cdk1 inactivation blocks entry into mitosis and can reset G2 cells to G1, allowing another round of replication. Reciprocally, persistent expression of Cyclin A/Cdk1 or Cyclin E/Cdk2 blocks Drosophila endocycles.