Bottleneck
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A network position that limits the performance of the system. Described by the mathematical idea of betweeness centrality - a description of the number of paths travelling through a node in a network. An example would be a rate-limiting enzymatic reaction.
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Cluster
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A measure of the tendency of network nodes to form groups. It manifests from a high density of edges between nodes. In biological networks a cluster could represent a protein complex.
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Connectivity/degree
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The number of connections (see edge) made by any node within a network.
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Edge
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An interaction between two nodes. Commonly represents a protein:protein interaction but can also be representative of other biological phenomena such as co-expression.
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Interactome
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A network representing a whole set of direct and/or indirect interactions related to a specific biological phenomenon.
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Minimal Essential Network (MEN)
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Top 10% of network protein nodes, as scored by connectivity and bottleneck network properties. Corresponds to highly functionally related positions within the network.
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Network analysis
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Analysis that relates the structural and mathematical properties of a network to its function.
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Node
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A vertex within a network. In biological networks a node will usually be a gene, protein or metabolite.
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Seed genes
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A starting set of genes or metabolites of interest that are used to generate an interactome model by inferring joining interactions algorithmically.
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