Dataset Information

HHMMiR: efficient de novo prediction of microRNAs using hierarchical hidden Markov models.

ABSTRACT:

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding single-stranded RNAs (20-23 nts) that are known to act as post-transcriptional and translational regulators of gene expression. Although, they were initially overlooked, their role in many important biological processes, such as development, cell differentiation, and cancer has been established in recent times. In spite of their biological significance, the identification of miRNA genes in newly sequenced organisms is still based, to a large degree, on extensive use of evolutionary conservation, which is not always available.

Results

We have developed HHMMiR, a novel approach for de novo miRNA hairpin prediction in the absence of evolutionary conservation. Our method implements a Hierarchical Hidden Markov Model (HHMM) that utilizes region-based structural as well as sequence information of miRNA precursors. We first established a template for the structure of a typical miRNA hairpin by summarizing data from publicly available databases. We then used this template to develop the HHMM topology.

Conclusion

Our algorithm achieved average sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 88%, on 10-fold cross-validation of human miRNA precursor data. We also show that this model, trained on human sequences, works well on hairpins from other vertebrate as well as invertebrate species. Furthermore, the human trained model was able to correctly classify ~97% of plant miRNA precursors. The success of this approach in such a diverse set of species indicates that sequence conservation is not necessary for miRNA prediction. This may lead to efficient prediction of miRNA genes in virtually any organism.

SUBMITTER: Kadri S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2648761 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

HHMMiR: efficient de novo prediction of microRNAs using hierarchical hidden Markov models.

Kadri Sabah S Hinman Veronica V Benos Panayiotis V PV

BMC bioinformatics 20090130

<h4>Background</h4>MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding single-stranded RNAs (20-23 nts) that are known to act as post-transcriptional and translational regulators of gene expression. Although, they were initially overlooked, their role in many important biological processes, such as development, cell differentiation, and cancer has been established in recent times. In spite of their biological significance, the identification of miRNA genes in newly sequenced organisms is still based, to a l ...[more]

PMID: 19208136

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundRiboswitches are a type of noncoding RNA that regulate gene expression by switching from one structural conformation to another on ligand binding. The various classes of riboswitches discovered so far are differentiated by the ligand, which on binding induces a conformational switch. Every class of riboswitch is characterized by an aptamer domain, which provides the site for ligand binding, and an expression platform that undergoes conformational change on ligand binding. The sequence and structure of the aptamer domain is highly conserved in riboswitches belonging to the same class. We propose a method for fast and accurate identification of riboswitches using profile Hidden Markov Models (pHMM). Our method exploits the high degree of sequence conservation that characterizes the aptamer domain.ResultsOur method can detect riboswitches in genomic databases rapidly and accurately. Its sensitivity is comparable to the method based on the Covariance Model (CM). For six out of ten riboswitch classes, our method detects more than 99.5% of the candidates identified by the much slower CM method while being several hundred times faster. For three riboswitch classes, our method detects 97-99% of the candidates relative to the CM method. Our method works very well for those classes of riboswitches that are characterized by distinct and conserved sequence motifs.ConclusionRiboswitches play a crucial role in controlling the expression of several prokaryotic genes involved in metabolism and transport processes. As more and more new classes of riboswitches are being discovered, it is important to understand the patterns of their intra and inter genomic distribution. Understanding such patterns will enable us to better understand the evolutionary history of these genetic regulatory elements. However, a complete picture of the distribution pattern of riboswitches will emerge only after accurate identification of riboswitches across genomes. We believe that the riboswitch detection method developed in this paper will aid in that process. The significant advantage in terms of speed, of our pHMM-based approach over the method based on CM allows us to scan entire databases (rather than 5'UTRs only) in a relatively short period of time in order to accurately identify riboswitch candidates.

Dataset Information

HHMMiR: efficient de novo prediction of microRNAs using hierarchical hidden Markov models.

Background

Results

Conclusion

Publications

HHMMiR: efficient de novo prediction of microRNAs using hierarchical hidden Markov models.

Similar Datasets

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