The study of the dynamic organisation of the human interactome and its application in the identification of cardiovascular disease biomarkers
It has been well accepted that interactions between proteins are fundamentally important for many biological processes such as signal transduction, protection against external pathogenic agents and catalysts for metabolic reactions. The systematic studies of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks within a living cell have significant applications and implications in life science since it may lead, for example, to a better understanding of the mechanisms of protein function and cellular processes, and the design of new, effective therapeutic approaches.
The recognised significance of PPI networks has inspired huge efforts to systematically study the behaviour of protein interactions. However, most of current studies have mainly been focused on the analysis of static protein interaction networks without accounting for dynamic properties of biological networks. It has been found that the actual set of proteins and their interactions may vary substantially depending on tissue samples and physiological conditions [1]. The biological role of topological hub proteins, i.e. those with many interactions, might vary depending on the time and location of the interactions they mediate [2].
This project will take the new step to rigorously scrutinise global dynamic properties of human interactome networks and its impact on human diseases. It is expected that the proposed models and algorithms will be applied to the identification of cardiovascular biomarkers at the first instance [3]. Inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional collaborations are envisaged to support the development of this project.
References
1. Bossi A, Lehner B (2009). Tissue specificity and the human protein interaction network. Mol Syst Biol. 5: 260.
2. Han JD, Bertin N, Hao T, Goldberg DS, Berriz GF, Zhang LV, et al. (2004) Evidence for dynamically organised modularity in the yeast protein-protein interaction network. Nature, 430(6995): 88-93.
3. Wang HY and Zheng H (2008) Signature genes in human heart failure based on gene expression analysis: Can we identify a unique set?, Proceedings of the 8th IEEE International Conference on BioInformatics and BioEngineering, Athens, Greece, Pages 1-6.
Personnel Involved
First Supervisor: Wang, HY Dr
Second Supervisor: Zheng, H Dr
Collaboration: This project does not involve collaboration with another establishment