INSECT: In silico search for co-occurring transcription factors

Abstract

P. Yankilevich & C Perez Castro both corresponding authors. Motivation: Transcriptional regulation occurs through the concerted actions of multiple transcription factors (TFs) that bind cooperatively to cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) of genes. These CRMs usually contain a variable number of transcription factor-binding sites(TFBSs) involved in related cellular and physiological processes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) has been effective in detecting TFBSs and nucleosome location in order to identify potential CRMs in genome-wide studies. Although several attempts were previously reported to predict the potential binding of TFs at TFBSs within CRMs by comparing different ChIP-seq data, these have been hampered by excessive background, usually emerging as a consequence of experimental conditions. To understand these complex regulatory circuits, it would be helpful to have reliable and updated user-friendly tools to assist in the identification of TFBSs and CRMs for genes of interest. Results: Here we present INSECT (IN-silico SEarch for Co-occurring Transcription factors), a novel web server for identifying potential TFBSs and CRMs in gene sequences. By combining several strategies, INSECT provides flexible analysis of multiple co-occurring TF binding sites, by applying differing search schemes and restriction parameters. Availability: INSECT is freely available as a web server at http://bioinformatics.ibioba-mpsp-conicet.gov.ar/INSECT