A number of computational methods have suggested means by which gene transcription – the process through which RNA is created from DNA – is activated, but there are factors at work that no model has been able to fully explain. In eukaryotes, gene regulation is quite complex, so models have primarily focused on a relatively simple species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast). Because of the inherent complexity in higher species, and even in yeast, a method of identifying transcription factor (TF) binding motifs (specific, short DNA sequences) must be efficient and thorough in its analysis. This thesis shows that a method using the Fast Orthogonal Search (FOS) algorithm to uncover binding motifs as well as cooperatively binding groups of motifs can explain variations in gene expression profiles, which reflect the level at which DNA is transcribed into RNA for a number of genes. The algorithm is very fast, exploring a motif list and constructing a final model within seconds to a few minutes. It produces model terms that are consistent with known motifs, while also revealing new motifs and interactions, and it causes impressive reductions in variance with relatively few model terms over the cell-cycle. / Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-21 10:30:24.293
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OKQ.1974/1364 |
| Date | 22 August 2008 |
| Creators | Minz, Ian |
| Contributors | Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). Theses (Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.)) |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1393554 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. |
| Relation | Canadian theses |
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