Inferring a nonlinear biochemical network model from a heterogeneous single-cell time course data

Mathematical modeling and analysis of biochemical reaction networks are key routines in computational systems biology and biophysics; however, it remains difficult to choose the most valid model. Here, we propose a computational framework for data-driven and systematic inference of a nonlinear biochemical network model. The framework is based on the expectation-maximization algorithm combined with particle smoother and sparse regularization techniques. In this method, a "redundant" model consisting of an excessive number of nodes and regulatory paths is iteratively updated by eliminating unnecessary paths, resulting in an inference of the most likely model. Using artificial single-cell time-course data showing heterogeneous oscillatory behaviors, we demonstrated that this algorithm successfully inferred the true network without any prior knowledge of network topology or parameter values. Furthermore, we showed that both the regulatory paths among nodes and the optimal number of nodes in the network could be systematically determined. The method presented in this study provides a general framework for inferring a nonlinear biochemical network model from heterogeneous single-cell time-course data.