Derivation of genetic interaction networks from quantitative phenotype data

Becky L Drees^* , Vesteinn Thorsson^* , Gregory W Carter^* , Alexander W Rives , Marisa Z Raymond , Iliana Avila-Campillo , Paul Shannon and Timothy Galitski

Institute for Systems Biology, 1441 N. 34th Street, Seattle, WA 98103, USA

author email corresponding author email* Contributed equally

Genome Biology 2005, 6:R38doi:10.1186/gb-2005-6-4-r38


Published:	31 March 2005

Subject areas: Genetics, Bioinformatics, Model organisms

Abstract

We have generalized the derivation of genetic-interaction networks from quantitative phenotype data. Familiar and unfamiliar modes of genetic interaction were identified and defined. A network was derived from agar-invasion phenotypes of mutant yeast. Mutations showed specific modes of genetic interaction with specific biological processes. Mutations formed cliques of significant mutual information in their large-scale patterns of genetic interaction. These local and global interaction patterns reflect the effects of gene perturbations on biological processes and pathways.