title: Cross-Disciplinary Network Comparison: Matchmaking Between Hairballs.
abstract: Biological systems are complex. In particular, the interactions between molecular components often form dense networks that, more often than not, are criticized for being inscrutable 'hairballs'. We argue that one way of untangling these hairballs is through cross-disciplinary network comparison-leveraging advances in other disciplines to obtain new biological insights. In some cases, such comparisons enable the direct transfer of mathematical formalism between disciplines, precisely describing the abstract associations between entities and allowing us to apply a variety of sophisticated formalisms to biology. In cases where the detailed structure of the network does not permit the transfer of complete formalisms between disciplines, comparison of mechanistic interactions in systems for which we have significant day-to-day experience can provide analogies for interpreting relatively more abstruse biological networks. Here, we illustrate how these comparisons benefit the field with a few specific examples related to network growth, organizational hierarchies, and the evolution of adaptive systems.
authors.affiliation: Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520; Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520.
authors.forename: Koon-Kiu
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520; Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520.
authors.forename: Daifeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520; Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520.
authors.forename: Anurag
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sethi
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520; Integrated Graduate Program in Physical and Engineering Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muir
authors.affiliation: Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520; Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kitchen
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Dartmouth School of Medicine, Hanover NH 03755.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520; Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520; Department of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gerstein