Table 1 Glossary
Term | Definitiona |
|---|---|
Bottleneck | 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. |
Cluster | 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. |
Connectivity/degree | The number of connections (see edge) made by any node within a network. |
Edge | An interaction between two nodes. Commonly represents a protein:protein interaction but can also be representative of other biological phenomena such as co-expression. |
Interactome | A network representing a whole set of direct and/or indirect interactions related to a specific biological phenomenon. |
Minimal Essential Network (MEN) | Top 10% of network protein nodes, as scored by connectivity and bottleneck network properties. Corresponds to highly functionally related positions within the network. |
Network analysis | Analysis that relates the structural and mathematical properties of a network to its function. |
Node | A vertex within a network. In biological networks a node will usually be a gene, protein or metabolite. |
Seed genes | A starting set of genes or metabolites of interest that are used to generate an interactome model by inferring joining interactions algorithmically. |