A generic approach to behaviour-driven biochemical model construction

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Modelling of biochemical systems has received considerable attention over the last decade from bioengineering, biochemistry, computer science, and mathematics. This thesis investigates the applications of computational techniques to computational systems biology, for the construction of biochemical models in terms of topology and kinetic rates. Due to the complexity of biochemical systems, it is natural to construct models representing the biochemical systems incrementally in a piecewise manner. Syntax and semantics of two patterns are defined for the instantiation of components which are extendable, reusable and fundamental building blocks for models composition. We propose and implement a set of genetic operators and composition rules to tackle issues of piecewise composing models from scratch. Quantitative Petri nets are evolved by the genetic operators, and evolutionary process of modelling are guided by the composition rules. Metaheuristic algorithms are widely applied in BioModel Engineering to support intelligent and heuristic analysis of biochemical systems in terms of structure and kinetic rates. We illustrate parameters of biochemical models based on Biochemical Systems Theory, and then the topology and kinetic rates of the models are manipulated by employing evolution strategy and simulated annealing respectively. A new hybrid modelling framework is proposed and implemented for the models construction. Two heuristic algorithms are performed on two embedded layers in the hybrid framework: an outer layer for topology mutation and an inner layer for rates optimization. Moreover, variants of the hybrid piecewise modelling framework are investigated. Regarding flexibility of these variants, various combinations of evolutionary operators, evaluation criteria and design principles can be taken into account. We examine performance of five sets of the variants on specific aspects of modelling. The comparison of variants is not to explicitly show that one variant clearly outperforms the others, but it provides an indication of considering important features for various aspects of the modelling. Because of the very heavy computational demands, the process of modelling is paralleled by employing a grid environment, GridGain. Application of the GridGain and heuristic algorithms to analyze biological processes can support modelling of biochemical systems in a computational manner, which can also benefit mathematical modelling in computer science and bioengineering. We apply our proposed modelling framework to model biochemical systems in a hybrid piecewise manner. Modelling variants of the framework are comparatively studied on specific aims of modelling. Simulation results show that our modelling framework can compose synthetic models exhibiting similar species behaviour, generate models with alternative topologies and obtain general knowledge about key modelling features

Parameter inference for stochastic biological models

PhD ThesisParameter inference is the field concerned with estimating reliable model parameters from data. In recent years there has been a trend in the biology community toward single cell technologies such as fluorescent flow cytometry, transcriptomics and mass cytometry: providing a rich array of stochastic time series and temporal distribution data for analysis. Deterministically, there are a wide range of parameter inference and global optimisation techniques available. However, these do not always scale well to non-deterministic (i.e., stochastic) settings — whereby the temporal evolution of the system can be described by a chemical master equation for which the solution is nearly always intractable, and the dynamic behaviour of a system is hard to predict. For systems biology, the inference of stochastic parameters remains a bottleneck for accurate model simulation. This thesis is concerned with the parameter inference problem for stochastic chemical reaction networks. Stochastic chemical reaction networks are most frequently modelled as a continuous time discretestate Markov chain using Gillespie’s stochastic simulation algorithm. Firstly, I present a new parameter inference algorithm, SPICE, that combines Gillespie’s algorithm with the cross-entropy method. The cross-entropy method is a novel approach for global optimisation inspired from the field of rare-event probability estimation. I then present recent advances in utilising the generalised method of moments for inference, and seek to provide these approaches with a direct stochastic simulation based correction. Subsequently, I present a novel use of a recent multi-level tau-leaping approach for simulating population moments efficiently, and use this to provide a simulation based correction to the generalised method of moments. I also propose a new method for moment closures based on the use of Padé approximants. The presented algorithms are evaluated on a number of challenging case studies, including bistable systems — e.g., the Schlögl System and the Genetic Toggle Switch — and real experimental data. Experimental results are presented using each of the given algorithms. We also consider ‘realistic’ data — i.e., datasets missing model species, multiple datasets originating from experiment repetitions, and datasets containing arbitrary units (e.g., fluorescence values). The developed approaches are found to be viable alternatives to existing state-ofthe-art methods, and in certain cases are able to outperform other methods in terms of either speed, or accuracyNewcastle/Liverpool/Durham BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership for financial suppor

Computational Modeling, Formal Analysis, and Tools for Systems Biology.

As the amount of biological data in the public domain grows, so does the range of modeling and analysis techniques employed in systems biology. In recent years, a number of theoretical computer science developments have enabled modeling methodology to keep pace. The growing interest in systems biology in executable models and their analysis has necessitated the borrowing of terms and methods from computer science, such as formal analysis, model checking, static analysis, and runtime verification. Here, we discuss the most important and exciting computational methods and tools currently available to systems biologists. We believe that a deeper understanding of the concepts and theory highlighted in this review will produce better software practice, improved investigation of complex biological processes, and even new ideas and better feedback into computer science

DBSolve Optimum: a software package for kinetic modeling which allows dynamic visualization of simulation results

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Systems biology research and applications require creation, validation, extensive usage of mathematical models and visualization of simulation results by end-users. Our goal is to develop novel method for visualization of simulation results and implement it in simulation software package equipped with the sophisticated mathematical and computational techniques for model development, verification and parameter fitting.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We present mathematical simulation workbench DBSolve Optimum which is significantly improved and extended successor of well known simulation software DBSolve5. Concept of "dynamic visualization" of simulation results has been developed and implemented in DBSolve Optimum. In framework of the concept graphical objects representing metabolite concentrations and reactions change their volume and shape in accordance to simulation results. This technique is applied to visualize both kinetic response of the model and dependence of its steady state on parameter. The use of the dynamic visualization is illustrated with kinetic model of the Krebs cycle.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>DBSolve Optimum is a user friendly simulation software package that enables to simplify the construction, verification, analysis and visualization of kinetic models. Dynamic visualization tool implemented in the software allows user to animate simulation results and, thereby, present them in more comprehensible mode. DBSolve Optimum and built-in dynamic visualization module is free for both academic and commercial use. It can be downloaded directly from <url>http://www.insysbio.ru</url>.</p

Stochasticity in Protein Levels Drives Colinearity of Gene Order in Metabolic Operons of Escherichia coli

Gene order in some bacterial metabolic operons reflects ordering in the metabolic pathway. That this is true uniquely for operons expressed at low levels highlights the selective importance of fluctuations in protein levels

On the Modeling of Signaling Networks with Petri Nets

The whole-cell behavior arises from the interplay among signaling, metabolic, and regulatory processes. Proper modeling of the overall function requires accurate interpretations of each component. The highly concurrent nature of the inner-cell interactions motivates the use of Petri nets as a framework for the whole-cell modeling. Petri nets have been successfully used in modeling of metabolic pathways, as it allows for a straightforward mapping from its stoichiometric matrix to the Petri net structure. The Boolean interpretation and modeling of transcription regulation networks also lends itself easily to Petri net modeling. However, Petri net modeling of signal transduction networks has been largely lacking, with the exception of simple ad hoc applications to specific signaling pathways. In this thesis, I investigate the applicability of Petri nets to modeling of signaling networks, by systematically analyzing initial token assignments, firing strategies, and robustness to errors and abstractions in the estimates of molecule concentrations and reaction rates

A review of modelling and verification approaches for computational biology

This paper reviews most frequently used computational modelling approaches and formal verification techniques in computational biology. The paper also compares a number of model checking tools and software suits used in analysing biological systems and biochemical networks and verifiying a wide range of biological properties

Analysis of Biochemical Reaction Networks using Tropical and Polyhedral Geometry Methods

The field of systems biology makes an attempt to realise various biological functions and processes as the emergent properties of the underlying biochemical network model. The area of computational systems biology deals with the computational methods to compute such properties. In this context, the thesis primarily discusses novel computational methods to compute the emergent properties as well as to recognize the essence in complex network models. The computational methods described in the thesis are based on the computer algebra techniques, namely tropical geometry and extreme currents. Tropical geometry is based on ideas of dominance of monomials appearing in a system of differential equations, which are often used to describe the dynamics of the network model. In such differential equation based models, tropical geometry deals with identification of the metastable regimes, defined as low dimensional regions of the phase space close to which the dynamics is much slower compared to the rest of the phase space. The application of such properties in model reduction and symbolic dynamics are demonstrated in the network models obtained from a public database namely Biomodels. Extreme currents are limiting edges of the convex polyhedrons describing the admissible fluxes in biochemical networks, which are helpful to decompose a biochemical network into a set of irreducible pathways. The pathways are shown to be associated with given clinical outcomes thereby providing some mechanistic insights associated with the clinical phenotypes. Similar to the tropical geometry, the method based on extreme currents is evaluated on the network models derived from a public database namely KEGG. Therefore, this thesis makes an attempt to explain the emergent properties of the network model by determining extreme currents or metastable regimes. Additionally, their applicability in the real world network models are discussed