Reverse-engineering transcription control networks

Microarray technologies, which enable the simultaneous measurement of all RNA transcripts in a cell, have spawned the development of algorithms for reverse-engineering transcription control networks. In this article, we classify the algorithms into two general strategies: physical modeling and influence modeling. We discuss the biological and computational principles underlying each strategy, and provide leading examples of each. We also discuss the practical considerations for developing and applying the various methods. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.