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Design and Use of Multiplexed Chemostat Arrays
Published on: February 23, 2013
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Structural characteristics in network control of molecular multiplex networks
Cheng Yuan1, Zu-Yu Qian1, Jie Zhou1
1School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China.
Plos One
|March 30, 2023
Summary
Controlling complex molecular multiplex networks, like those involving transcriptional regulatory (TRN) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, requires understanding gene roles. Targeting essential genes reduces control energy costs in these biological networks.
Area of Science:
- Systems Biology
- Network Science
- Computational Biology
Background:
- Multilayer networks model complex real-world systems effectively.
- Controlling synthetic multiplex networks is advancing, but real-world multilayer system control remains challenging.
- Molecular systems often involve coupled transcriptional regulatory networks (TRN) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the controllability and energy requirements of molecular multiplex networks.
- To analyze the influence of network structural characteristics on control strategies.
- To understand the role of essential and pathogen-related genes in network control.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of network structural characteristics.
- Identification of driver nodes for network control.
- Evaluation of energy costs associated with different control strategies.
- Examination of coupling patterns between TRN and PPI networks.
Main Results:
- Driver nodes in molecular multiplex networks tend to avoid essential or pathogen-related genes.
- Targeting essential or pathogen-related genes significantly reduces the energy cost for network control.
- The number of minimal driver nodes and the required energy correlate with disassortative coupling between TRN and PPI networks.
- Findings were consistent across multiple species.
Conclusions:
- Essential and pathogen-related genes play a critical role in reducing the energy demands for controlling molecular multiplex networks.
- Network coupling characteristics, specifically disassortativity, influence the controllability and energy efficiency of these systems.
- This study offers insights into gene function in both biological processes and network control across species.
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