Shortest path-based analysis of protein-protein interaction networks

Eight protein-protein interaction networks of 7 species from the database of interacting proteins (DIP) were studied based on the shortest path technique for topological analysis of the protein-protein interaction networks of all species, including the studies of the networks' diameter, characteristic path length, connection efficiency, relation between vertex betweenness and degree, and the effect of edges with high betweenness and long range on network connection. The analyses show that all the 8 protein-protein interaction networks are robust against the arbitrary elimination of vertices (or edges), but vulnerable to the sequential deletion of vertices (or edges) by betweenness. The connection efficiency of a network decreases faster when 2% of vertices are sequentially removed from the highest betweenness than that when 10% of vertices are removed at random. There are a certain number of edges without substitute paths in all the 8 protein-protein interaction networks of 7 species. Most networks are vulnerable to sequential removal of edges with long range.

Shortest path-based analysis of protein-protein interaction networks Academic Article