Similar pathogen targets in Arabidopsis thaliana and homo sapiens protein networks.
We study the behavior of pathogens on host protein networks for humans and Arabidopsis - noting striking similarities. Specifically, we preform [Formula: see text]-shell decomposition analysis on these networks - which groups the proteins into various "shells" based on network structure. We observe that shells with a higher average degree are more highly targeted (with a power-law relationship) and that highly targeted nodes lie in shells closer to the inner-core of the network. Additionally, we also note that the inner core of the network is significantly under-targeted. We show that these core proteins may have a role in intra-cellular communication and hypothesize that they are less attacked to ensure survival of the host. This may explain why certain high-degree proteins are not significantly attacked.
Paulo Shakarian Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, USA. paulo@shakarian.net
Paulo
P
Shakarian
J Kenneth
JK
Wickiser
D000465:Algorithms; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D025941:Protein Interaction Mapping; D060066:Protein Interaction Maps; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014780:Viruses / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*
D011506:Proteins