SiGN-SSM: open source parallel software for estimating gene networks with state space models

Yoshinori Tamada, Rui Yamaguchi, Seiya Imoto, Osamu Hirose, Ryo Yoshida, Masao Nagasaki, Satoru Miyano

Abstract: Summary: SiGN-SSM is an open-source gene network estimation software able to run in parallel on PCs and massively parallel supercomputers. The software estimates a state space model (SSM), that is a statistical dynamic model suitable for analyzing short time and/or replicated time series gene expression profiles. SiGN-SSM implements a novel parameter constraint effective to stabilize the estimated models. Also, by using a supercomputer, it is able to determine the gene network structure by a statistical permutation test in a practical time. SiGN-SSM is applicable not only to analyzing temporal regulatory dependencies between genes, but also to extracting the differentially regulated genes from time series expression profiles.