Background: DNA methylation plays a key role in developmental processes, which is reflected in changing methylation patterns at specific CpG sites over the lifetime of an individual. The underlying mechanisms are complex and possibly affect multiple genes or entire pathways. Results: We applied a multivariate approach to identify combinations of CpG sites that undergo modifications when transitioning between developmental stages. Monte Carlo feature selection produced a list of ranked and statistically significant CpG sites, while rule-based models allowed for identifying particular methylation changes in these sites. Our rule-based classifier reports combinations of CpG sites, together with changes in their methylation status in the form of easy-to-read IF-THEN rules, which allows for identification of the genes associated with the underlying sites.
Moghadam et al. REF proposed a rulebased classifier to report combinations of CpG sites for identifying particular methylation changes in these sites.
Combinatorial identification of DNA methylation patterns over age in the human brain
BMC Bioinformatics
BMC Bioinformatics
Biology Medicine Computer Science