Determining a singleton attractor of a boolean network with nested canalyzing functions

J Comput Biol. 2011 Oct;18(10):1275-90. doi: 10.1089/cmb.2010.0281. Epub 2011 May 9.

Abstract

In this article, we study the problem of finding a singleton attractor for several biologically important subclasses of Boolean networks (BNs). The problem of finding a singleton attractor in a BN is known to be NP-hard in general. For BNs consisting of n nested canalyzing functions, we present an O(1.799(n)) time algorithm. The core part of this development is an O(min(2(k/2) · 2(m/2), 2(k)) · poly(k, m)) time algorithm for the satisfiability problem for m nested canalyzing functions over k variables. For BNs consisting of chain functions, a subclass of nested canalyzing functions, we present an O(1.619(n)) time algorithm and show that the problem remains NP-hard, even though the satisfiability problem for m chain functions over k variables is solvable in polynomial time. Finally, we present an o(2(n)) time algorithm for bounded degree BNs consisting of canalyzing functions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Computational Biology
  • Computer Simulation
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Kinetics
  • Models, Genetic*
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Systems Biology*