Integration of statistical models and visualization tools to characterize microRNA networks influencing cancer

Gene expression microarray experiments can be used to infer the topology of co-expression networks between genes in the immune-system pathways. Immune-system pathways are highly dimensional, including numerous gene nodes and edges connecting nodes. A bioinformatics strategy to infer and confirm gene co-expression networks was developed and applied to two major immune-system pathways. In total, 182 and 356 co-expression profiles between pairs of genes were identified in the NOD-like and B-cell receptor signaling pathways. The distinct distribution of the sign of the relationships among the pathways offered additional insights into the network.