ConsensusPathDB 2022: molecular interactions update as a resource for network biology

Area of Science:

• Molecular biology
• Bioinformatics
• Systems biology

Background:

• Molecular interactions are fundamental to biological processes.
• Access to comprehensive interaction databases aids functional interpretation and network analysis.
• ConsensusPathDB is a meta-database aggregating molecular interactions from public resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the 2022 update of ConsensusPathDB, detailing content expansion, new functionalities, and improved stability.
• To highlight the integration of regulatory interaction datasets.
• To emphasize the utility of the protein-protein interaction network for network inference.

Main Methods:

• Consolidation of molecular interaction data from 31 (human), 16 (mouse), and 14 (yeast) public resources.
• Integration of regulatory datasets including transcription factor, microRNA, and enhancer-gene target interactions.
• Analysis of the protein-protein interaction network for topological characteristics and network inference.

Main Results:

• The human molecular interaction dataset now includes 859,848 interactions connecting 200,499 unique entities.
• Novel functionality for overrepresentation and enrichment analyses using integrated regulatory datasets.
• Characterization of the integrated protein-protein interaction network as a scaffold for network inferences.

Conclusions:

• The 2022 update of ConsensusPathDB offers a significantly expanded and enhanced resource for biological research.
• The integration of diverse regulatory interactions provides novel analytical capabilities.
• ConsensusPathDB remains a valuable tool for functional interpretation and network-based analysis of molecular data.