Abstract:

In this talk we will present two unrelated methods
for constructing networks from molecular sequence data
and from metabolic profiles.

Phylogenetic networks are a generalization of
phylogenetic trees that permit the representation
of conflicting signal or alternative phylogenetic histories.
šNetworks can provide a useful tool for phylogenetic
analysis when the underlying evolutionary history
is non treelike. For example, recombination,
hybridization, and lateral gene transfer
can all lead to histories that are not adequately
represented by a single tree. In the first part
of the talk, we present some techniques for
the whole-genome scale construction of phylogenetic networks.

The second part of the talk is concerned with
reconstruction of metabolic networks. A well-studied
problem in biochemical system analysis is the
reconstruction of model parameters from metabolic profiles.
Due to the high dimensionality of this problem,
most current methods for its solution are based on heuristic
Ëalgorithms. However, such methods often produce point estimates for
parameters, with no guarantees of accuracy. Here, we
present an alternative way to solve the reconstruction
problem that is based on the mathematical theory of
interval analysis that has the advantage of providing
reliable estimates of parameters.

Date: 2005-Nov-25     Time: 15:00:00     Room: VA5 (IST)

For more information:

• atf@inesc-id.pt