An IP Algorithm for RNA Folding Trajectories

Vienna RNA Package software Kinfold implements the Gillespie algorithm for RNA secondary structure folding kinetics, for the move sets MS1 [resp. MS2], consisting of base pair additions and removals [resp. base pair addition, removals and shifts]. In this paper, for arbitrary secondary structures s, t of a given RNA sequence, we present the first optimal algorithm to compute the shortest MS2 folding trajectory s = s0, s1, . . .sm = t, where each intermediate structure si+1 is obtained from its predecessor by the addition, removal or shift of a single base pair. The shortest MS1 trajectory between s and t is trivially equal to the number of base pairs belonging to s but not t, plus the number of base pairs belonging to t but not s. Our optimal algorithm applies integer programming (IP) to solve (essentially) the minimum feedback vertex set (FVS) problem for the "conflict digraph" associated with input secondary structures s, t, and then applies topological sort, in order to generate an optimal MS2 folding pathway from s to t that maximizes the use of shift moves. Since the optimal algorithm may require excessive run time, we also sketch a fast, near-optimal algorithm (details to appear elsewhere). Software for our algorithm will be publicly available at http://bioinformatics.bc.edu/clotelab/MS2distance/

Novel algorithms to analyze RNA secondary structure evolution and folding kinetics

Thesis advisor: Peter CloteRNA molecules play important roles in living organisms, such as protein translation, gene regulation, and RNA processing. It is known that RNA secondary structure is a scaffold for tertiary structure leading to extensive amount of interest in RNA secondary structure. This thesis is primarily focused on the development of novel algorithms for the analysis of RNA secondary structure evolution and folding kinetics. We describe a software RNAsampleCDS to generate mRNA sequences coding user-specified peptides overlapping in up to six open reading frames. Sampled mRNAs are then analyzed with other tools to provide an estimate of their secondary structure properties. We investigate homology of RNAs with respect to both sequence and secondary structure information as well. RNAmountAlign an efficient software package for multiple global, local, and semiglobal alignment of RNAs using a weighted combination of sequence and structural similarity with statistical support is presented. Furthermore, we approach RNA folding kinetics from a novel network perspective, presenting algorithms for the shortest path and expected degree of nodes in the network of all secondary structures of an RNA. In these algorithms we consider move set MS2 , allowing addition, removal and shift of base pairs used by several widely-used RNA secondary structure folding kinetics software that implement Gillespie’s algorithm. We describe MS2distance software to compute the shortest MS2 folding trajectory between any two given RNA secondary structures. Moreover, RNAdegree software implements the first algorithm to efficiently compute the expected degree of an RNA MS2 network of secondary structures. The source code for all the software and webservers for RNAmountAlign, MS2distance, and RNAdegree are publicly available at http://bioinformatics.bc.edu/clotelab/.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Biology