Network approach to understand biological systems: From single to multilayer networks

Area of Science:

• Biology
• Network Science
• Systems Biology

Background:

• Network theory provides a framework for modeling real-world systems, including biological systems at various scales.
• Biological systems are often complex, comprising multiple interconnected subsystems and layers.
• Traditional network models may not fully capture the multifaceted nature of biological complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the network formalism for modeling biological systems.
• To explain the multilayer network paradigm and its application in biology.
• To review recent advances, challenges, and future prospects in multilayer biological network analysis.

Main Methods:

• Review of network theory principles applied to biological systems.
• Introduction to the concept and formalism of multilayer networks.
• Discussion of applications in protein-protein interaction, metabolic, transcriptional, and ecological networks.

Main Results:

• Multilayer networks effectively model biological systems at multiple scales, revealing deeper insights into their structure and dynamics.
• Recent advances in analyzing multilayer networks enhance the understanding of biological complexity.
• Applications span from molecular interactions to species interactions in ecosystems.

Conclusions:

• Multilayer network approaches are crucial for comprehending complex biological systems.
• Further research into the structure and dynamics of multilayer biological networks is warranted.
• Future prospects include addressing current challenges and expanding the application of these models.