Detecting and characterizing the modular structure of the yeast transcription network

Abstract

Systems biology and complex networks research will turn biology into a more precise and synthetic discipline. To date, complex network concepts have been used to study all diversity of networks, such as social organization to molecular interaction. In this study we are particularly interested in addressing some aspects of the structural and functional organization of biological networks. The construction of a comprehensive regulatory map of molecular systems will contribute to a better understanding of the 'design principles' of the genetic regulatory networks. We proposed a reliable strategy in blending bioinformatics and complex network research for characterization of modular structure in sparse biological networks with low average node degree, as for the yeast transcription network (YTN).We find that the YTN is highly modular and those modules have specific functions. In addition, communities or modules sharing structural properties are also sharing some functional traits, which is a remarkable finding. Our approach could be used for helping biologists to address specific biological questions by designing hypothesis-driven experiments. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.