Data mining and the evolution of biological complexity.

Davnah Urbach,Jason H Moore

doi:10.1186/1756-0381-4-7

Abstract

A common challenge of identifying meaningful patterns in high-dimensional biological data is the complexity of the relationship between genotype and phenotype. Complexity arises as a result of many environmental, genetic, genomic, metabolic and proteomic factors interacting in a nonlinear manner through time and space to influence variability in biological traits and processes. The assumptions we make about this complexity greatly influences the analytical methods we choose for data mining and, in turn, our results and inferences. For example, linear discriminant analysis assumes a linear additive relationship among the variables or attributes while support vector machine or neural network can model nonlinear relationships. Regardless, it is a useful exercise to think about where biological complexity comes from as a way to facilitate the selection of data mining methods. One important theory is that evolution has shaped the complexity of biological systems. More specifically, we introduce here canalization as an evolutionary force in biological systems.

Highlights

A common challenge of identifying meaningful patterns in high-dimensional biological data is the complexity of the relationship between genotype and phenotype
Canalization is broadly defined as the evolution of phenotypic robustness to genetic or environmental perturbations [see for e.g. [1,2,3]]
Canalization implies a reduction in trait variability [1,3], i.e. in the propensity to vary in response to mutations or environmental changes [5], whereas it leaves genetic variability unaffected, allowing for cryptic genetic variation to accumulate [6]

Summary

Introduction

A common challenge of identifying meaningful patterns in high-dimensional biological data is the complexity of the relationship between genotype and phenotype. Canalization is broadly defined as the evolution of phenotypic robustness to genetic or environmental perturbations [see for e.g. Canalization buffers developmental pathways against the tendency for both new allelic variants and environmentallyinduced noise to generate suboptimal phenotypes, and thereby ensures the reliability of vital mechanisms such as cognition, glucose metabolism or immune response [4].

Results

Conclusion