Properties of biological networks

Abstract

Relationships in biological systems are frequently represented as networks with the goal of abstracting a system’s components to nodes and connections between them. While such representations allow modeling and analysis using abstract computational methods, there are certain aspects of such modeling that are particularly important for biological networks. We explore features that are deemed necessary for living and evolving organisms and reflect the evolutionary origins of biological networks. Biological networks are robust to random alterations of their nodes and connections yet may be vulnerable to attacks targeting essential genes. Biological systems are dynamic and modular, and so are their network representations. Comparisons of biological networks across species can reveal conserved and evolved regions and shed light on evolutionary events and processes. It is important to understand networks as a whole, as significant insights might emerge from the network approach that cannot be attributed to properties of the nodes alone. Network-based approaches have a potential to significantly increase our understanding of biological systems and consequently, our understanding and treatment of human diseases.