networks of protein interactions

Systems Biology and New Technologies Enable Predictive and Preventative Medicine



A network perturbation model of galactose utilization in yeast. This model reflects the integration of mRNA levels for the 6000 yeast genes in each of 20 different genetic and environmental perturbations, as well as thousands of protein/protein and protein/DNA interactions from the literature. The software program Cytoscape (54) integrated these data into a network where the nodes represent proteins (encoded by genes) and the lines represent interactions (blue straight lines, protein/protein interactions; yellow lines with arrows, protein/DNA interactions). A gray scale represents the levels of mRNA, with black being abundant levels and white very low levels. The red node indicates that this network model reflects the knockout of the corresponding gene (and protein) gal 4—a key transcription factor. rProtein, ribosomal protein; nt, nucleotide; synth, synthesis.

Hood et al, Science 22 October 2004: Vol. 306. no. 5696, pp. 640 - 643