Rbrothers: R Package for Bayesian Multiple Change-Point Recombination Detection. (January 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Irvahn, Jan; Chattopadhyay, Sujay; Sokurenko, Evgeni V.; Minin, Vladimir N.
• Is Part Of: Evolutionary bioinformatics online. Volume 9(2013)
• Publication Date: 2013-01
• Subjects: phylogenetics -- evolution -- Salmonella -- fimH -- fimA; Bioinformatics -- Periodicals; Evolutionary computation -- Periodicals; Genetic programming (Computer science) -- Periodicals; Computational Biology; Evolution, Molecular; Bioinformatics; Electronic journals; Periodicals; Fulltext; Internet Resources; Periodicals; Periodicals; 576.8
• DOI: 10.4137/EBO.S11945
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1176-9343

Abstract

Phylogenetic recombination detection is a fundamental task in bioinformatics and evolutionary biology. Most of the computational tools developed to attack this important problem are not integrated into the growing suite of R packages for statistical analysis of molecular sequences. Here, we present an R package, rbrothers, that makes a Bayesian multiple change-point model, one of the most sophisticated model-based phylogenetic recombination tools, available to R users. Moreover, we equip the Bayesian change-point model with a set of pre- and post- processing routines that will broaden the application domain of this recombination detection framework. Specifically, we implement an algorithm that forms the set of input trees required by multiple change-point models. We also provide functionality for checking Markov chain Monte Carlo convergence and creating estimation result summaries and graphics. Using rbrothers, we perform a comparative analysis of two Salmonella enterica genes, fimA and fimH, that encode major and adhesive subunits of the type 1 fimbriae, respectively. We believe that rbrothers, available at R-Forge:http://evolmod.r-forge.r-project.org/, will allow researchers to incorporate recombination detection into phylogenetic workflows already implemented in R.