Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Mapping Dysfunctional Protein-Protein Interactions in Disease

Mapping Dysfunctional Protein-Protein Interactions in Disease

Published on: October 24, 2025

Mapping the protein-protein and genetic interactions of cancer to guide precision medicine

Mehdi Bouhaddou¹, Manon Eckhardt², Zun Zar Chi Naing¹

¹Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States; Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA, United States; Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States.

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development

|July 10, 2019

Abstract:

Massive efforts to sequence cancer genomes have compiled an impressive catalogue of cancer mutations, revealing the recurrent exploitation of a handful of 'hallmark cancer pathways'. However, unraveling how sets of mutated proteins in these and other pathways hijack pro-proliferative signaling networks and dictate therapeutic responsiveness remains challenging. Here, we show that cancer driver protein-protein interactions are enriched for additional cancer drivers, highlighting the power of physical interaction maps to explain known, as well as uncover new, disease-promoting pathway interrelationships. We hypothesize that by systematically mapping the protein-protein and genetic interactions in cancer-thereby creating Cancer Cell Maps-we will create resources against which to contextualize a patient's mutations into perturbed pathways/complexes and thereby specify a matching targeted therapeutic cocktail.

Insights

Cancer mutations exploit hallmark cancer pathways. Mapping protein interactions reveals new disease pathways and can guide personalized cancer therapies by contextualizing patient mutations.

Area of Science:

Genomics
Cancer Biology
Systems Biology

Background:

Extensive cancer genome sequencing has identified numerous mutations and highlighted key cancer pathways.
Understanding how these mutations disrupt signaling networks and affect treatment response remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of protein-protein interactions in cancer.
To develop a resource for contextualizing cancer mutations and guiding targeted therapies.

Main Methods:

Analysis of cancer driver protein-protein interactions.
Creation of comprehensive Cancer Cell Maps integrating protein-protein and genetic interactions.

Main Results:

Cancer driver protein-protein interactions are enriched for additional cancer drivers.
Physical interaction maps can elucidate known and uncover novel disease-promoting pathway relationships.

Conclusions:

Protein interaction maps are powerful tools for understanding cancer biology.
Cancer Cell Maps can personalize cancer treatment by matching patient mutations to targeted therapeutic strategies.

Read full analysis

More Related Videos

Culture of Bladder Cancer Organoids as Precision Medicine Tools

Culture of Bladder Cancer Organoids as Precision Medicine Tools

Published on: December 28, 2021

Identifying Protein-protein Interaction Sites Using Peptide Arrays

Identifying Protein-protein Interaction Sites Using Peptide Arrays

Published on: November 18, 2014

Related Concept Videos

Microtubule Associated Proteins (MAPs)

Microtubule Associated Proteins (MAPs)

Microtubule function and architecture are regulated by an array of specialized proteins called microtubule-associated proteins or MAPs. These proteins are widespread across different organisms and have conserved protein motifs, like the multi-TOG domain for tubulin binding found in the CLASP family of MAPs. Some MAPs are lineage-specific based on their conserved domains. Their functions depend upon the cytoskeletal architecture and cell type they are located within. In-plant cells, a specific...

Protein Networks

Protein Networks

An organism can have thousands of different proteins, and these proteins must cooperate to ensure the health of an organism. Proteins bind to other proteins and form complexes to carry out their functions. Many proteins interact with multiple other proteins creating a complex network of protein interactions.
These interactions can be represented through maps depicting protein-protein interaction networks, represented as nodes and edges. Nodes are circles that are representative of a protein,...

Protein-protein Interfaces

Protein-protein Interfaces

Many proteins form complexes to carry out their functions, making protein-protein interactions (PPIs) essential for an organism's survival. Most PPIs are stabilized by numerous weak noncovalent chemical forces. The physical shape of the interfaces determines the way two proteins interact. Many globular proteins have closely-matching shapes on their surfaces, which form a large number of weak bonds. Additionally, many PPIs occur between two helices or between a surface cleft and a...

Protein and Protein Structure

Protein and Protein Structure

Proteins are one of the most abundant organic molecules in living systems and have the most diverse range of functions of all macromolecules. Proteins may be structural, regulatory, contractile, or protective. They may serve in transport, storage, or membranes; or they may be toxins or enzymes. Their structures, like their functions, vary greatly. They are all, however, amino acid polymers arranged in a linear sequence.
A protein's shape is critical to its function. For example, an enzyme...

Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins

Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins

Protein domains are small structurally independent units that are part of a single amino acid chain. Although these domains are often structurally independent, they may rely on synergistic effects to perform their functions as part of a larger protein. Protein domains may be conserved within the same organism, as well as across different organisms.
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to...

Protein Folding

Protein Folding

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Multi-omics Reveals Divergent Endothelial Molecular Responses to New and Old World Hantaviruses.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Programming Intrinsic States of Solvent-Free Glycolipids through Molecular Architecture and Thermal History.

ACS omega·2026

Controlling viscoelastic behavior and microstructural organization in engineered living materials using synthetic adhesins and rheometry.

Acta biomaterialia·2026

Whole-exome sequencing in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic tic disorders identifies 36 large-effect risk genes.

Nature neuroscience·2026

Autism mutations rewire protein interaction networks to drive neurodevelopmental pathology.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid induces hyperinflammation and vascular leakage through the Toll-like receptor signaling axis in macrophages.

Science advances·2026

See all related articles