DNA familial binding profiles made easy: Comparison of various motif alignment and clustering strategies
2007

Comparing DNA Binding Profiles of Transcription Factors

Sample size: 105 publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Shaun Mahony, Philip E. Auron, Panayiotis V. Benos

Primary Institution: University of Pittsburgh

Hypothesis

Can various motif alignment and clustering strategies improve the prediction of transcription factor binding sites?

Conclusion

The study found that local alignments are generally more effective than global alignments for detecting similarities in eukaryotic DNA motifs.

Supporting Evidence

  • Local alignments outperform global alignments in detecting DNA motif similarities.
  • New methods for clustering improve transcription factor classification accuracy.
  • STAMP software tool was developed to facilitate the analysis of DNA-binding motifs.

Takeaway

This study helps scientists understand how proteins that control gene expression recognize DNA, making it easier to predict where they bind.

Methodology

The study evaluated 105 combinations of alignment algorithms and distance metrics to compare DNA binding profiles.

Limitations

The methods may not account for all structural variations among transcription factors.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030061

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication