Pathway analysis in the context of Bayesian networks - mathematical modeling of master and canalizing genes

We utilize a tree-structured Bayesian network to characterize and detect master and canalizing genes via the coefficient of determination (CoD). Master genes possess strong regulation over groups of genes, whereas canalizing genes take over the regulation of large cohorts under certain cell conditions. While related, the two concepts are not the same and the analytic measures we employ reveal that difference. We also consider hypothesis testing for successful drug intervention in the framework of the Bayesian model.