Coevolution is a short-distance force at the protein interaction level and correlates with the modular organization of protein networks.
We investigated what roles coevolution plays in shaping yeast protein interaction network (PIN). We found that the extent of coevolution between two proteins decreases rapidly as their interacting distance on the PIN increases, suggesting coevolutionary constraint is a short-distance force at the molecular level. We also found that protein-protein interactions (PPIs) with strong coevolution tend to be enriched in interconnected clusters, whereas PPIs with weak coevolution are more frequently present at inter-cluster region. The findings indicate the close relationship between coevolution and modular organization of PINs, and may provide insights into evolution and modularity of cellular networks.
Liang
Zhi
Z
Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and School of Life Science, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China. liangzhi@ustc.edu.cn
Xu
Meng
M
Teng
Maikun
M
Niu
Liwen
L
Wu
Jiarui
J
D019295:Computational Biology; D030562:Databases, Protein; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D054730:Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; D025941:Protein Interaction Mapping; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D005656:Fungal Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins