An Inferential Framework for Network Hypothesis Tests: With Applications to Biological Networks

• Main Author: Yates, Phillip
• Format: Others
• Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2010
• Subjects: Biostatistics; Physical Sciences and Mathematics; Statistics and Probability
• Online Access: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/2200; http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3199&context=etd

The analysis of weighted co-expression gene sets is gaining momentum in systems biology. In addition to substantial research directed toward inferring co-expression networks on the basis of microarray/high-throughput sequencing data, inferential methods are being developed to compare gene networks across one or more phenotypes. Common gene set hypothesis testing procedures are mostly confined to comparing average gene/node transcription levels between one or more groups and make limited use of additional network features, e.g., edges induced by significant partial correlations. Ignoring the gene set architecture disregards relevant network topological comparisons and can result in familiar n