24 research outputs found
An Algorithm to Compute the Character Access Count Distribution for Pattern Matching Algorithms
We propose a framework for the exact probabilistic
analysis of window-based pattern matching algorithms, such as
Boyer--Moore, Horspool, Backward DAWG Matching, Backward Oracle
Matching, and more. In particular, we develop an algorithm that
efficiently computes the distribution of a pattern matching
algorithm's running time cost (such as the number of text character
accesses) for any given pattern in a random text model. Text models
range from simple uniform models to higher-order Markov models or
hidden Markov models (HMMs). Furthermore, we provide an algorithm to
compute the exact distribution of \emph{differences} in running time
cost of two pattern matching algorithms. Methodologically, we use
extensions of finite automata which we call \emph{deterministic
arithmetic automata} (DAAs) and \emph{probabilistic arithmetic
automata} (PAAs)~\cite{Marschall2008}. Given an algorithm, a
pattern, and a text model, a PAA is constructed from which the
sought distributions can be derived using dynamic programming. To
our knowledge, this is the first time that substring- or
suffix-based pattern matching algorithms are analyzed exactly by
computing the whole distribution of running time cost.
Experimentally, we compare Horspool's algorithm, Backward DAWG
Matching, and Backward Oracle Matching on prototypical patterns of
short length and provide statistics on the size of minimal DAAs for
these computations
Reliable transfer of transcriptional gene regulatory networks between taxonomically related organisms
Baumbach J, Rahmann S, Tauch A. Reliable transfer of transcriptional gene regulatory networks between taxonomically related organisms. BMC Systems Biology. 2009;3(1):8.Background: Transcriptional regulation of gene activity is essential for any living organism. Transcription factors therefore recognize specific binding sites within the DNA to regulate the expression of particular target genes. The genome-scale reconstruction of the emerging regulatory networks is important for biotechnology and human medicine but cost-intensive, time-consuming, and impossible to perform for any species separately. By using bioinformatics methods one can partially transfer networks from well-studied model organisms to closely related species. However, the prediction quality is limited by the low level of evolutionary conservation of the transcription factor binding sites, even within organisms of the same genus. Results: Here we present an integrated bioinformatics workflow that assures the reliability of transferred gene regulatory networks. Our approach combines three methods that can be applied on a large-scale: re-assessment of annotated binding sites, subsequent binding site prediction, and homology detection. A gene regulatory interaction is considered to be conserved if (1) the transcription factor, (2) the adjusted binding site, and (3) the target gene are conserved. The power of the approach is demonstrated by transferring gene regulations from the model organism Corynebacterium glutamicum to the human pathogens C. diphtheriae, C. jeikeium, and the biotechnologically relevant C. efficiens. For these three organisms we identified reliable transcriptional regulations for similar to 40% of the common transcription factors, compared to similar to 5% for which knowledge was available before. Conclusion: Our results suggest that trustworthy genome-scale transfer of gene regulatory networks between organisms is feasible in general but still limited by the level of evolutionary conservation
Epigenetic dynamics of monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation
Background Monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation involves major biochemical and structural changes. In order to elucidate the role of gene regulatory changes during this process, we used high-throughput sequencing to analyze the complete transcriptome and epigenome of human monocytes that were differentiated in vitro by addition of colony-stimulating factor 1 in serum-free medium. Results Numerous mRNAs and miRNAs were significantly up- or down-regulated. More than 100 discrete DNA regions, most often far away from transcription start sites, were rapidly demethylated by the ten eleven translocation enzymes, became nucleosome-free and gained histone marks indicative of active enhancers. These regions were unique for macrophages and associated with genes involved in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, phagocytosis and innate immune response. Conclusions In summary, we have discovered a phagocytic gene network that is repressed by DNA methylation in monocytes and rapidly de-repressed after the onset of macrophage differentiation
Computational pan-genomics: Status, promises and challenges
Many disciplines, from human genetics and oncology to plant breeding, microbiology and virology, commonly face the challenge of analyzing rapidly increasing numbers of genomes. In case of Homo sapiens, the number of sequenced genomes will approach hundreds of thousands in the next few years. Simply scaling up established bioinformatics pipelines will not be sufficient for leveraging the full potential of such rich genomic data sets. Instead, novel, qualitatively different Computational methods and paradigms are needed.We will witness the rapid extension of Computational pan-genomics, a new sub-area of research in Computational biology. In this article, we generalize existing definitions and understand a pangenome as any collection of genomic sequences to be analyzed jointly or to be used as a reference. We examine already available approaches to construct and use pan-genomes, discuss the potential benefits of future technologies and methodologies and review open challenges from the vantage point of the above-mentioned biological disciplines. As a prominent example for a Computational paradigm shift, we particularly highlight the transition from the representation of reference genomes as strings to representations
Massively parallel read mapping on GPUs with the q-group index and PEANUT
We present the q-group index, a novel data structure for read mapping tailored towards graphics processing units (GPUs) with a small memory footprint and efficient parallel algorithms for querying and building. On top of the q-group index we introduce PEANUT, a highly parallel GPU-based read mapper. PEANUT provides the possibility to output both the best hits or all hits of a read. Our benchmarks show that PEANUT outperforms other state-of-the-art read mappers in terms of speed while maintaining or slightly increasing precision, recall and sensitivity