SiGNet: A signaling network data simulator to enable signaling network inference

Network models are widely used to describe complex signaling systems. Cellular wiring varies in different cellular contexts and numerous inference techniques have been developed to infer the structure of a network from experimental data of the network’s behavior. To objectively identify which inference strategy is best suited to a specific network, a gold standard network and dataset are required. However, suitable datasets for benchmarking are difficult to find. Numerous tools exist that can simulate data for transcriptional networks, but these are of limited use for the study of signaling networks. Here, we describe SiGNet (Signal Generator for Networks): a Cytoscape app that simulates experimental data for a signaling network of known structure. SiGNet has been developed and tested against published experimental data, incorporating information on network architecture, and the directionality and strength of interactions to create biological data in silico. SiGNet is the first tool to simulate biological signaling data, enabling an accurate and systematic assessment of inference strategies. SiGNet can also be used to produce preliminary models of key biological pathways following perturbation.