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The Connectivity of Large Genetic Networks

Design, History, or Mere Chemistry?

  • Chapter
Power Laws, Scale-Free Networks and Genome Biology

Part of the book series: Molecular Biology Intelligence Unit ((MBIU))

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Abstract

I review evolutionary explanations of broad-tailed connectivity or degree distributions observed in metabolic networks and protein interaction networks. Self-assembled chemical reaction networks show degree distributions similar to those observed for metabolic networks, which argues against the postulated role of natural selection in maintaining this degree distribution. In addition, metabolic networks contain traces of their ancient history in the form of highly connected metabolites. Similarly to the degree distribution of metabolic networks, that of protein interaction networks can be explained without resorting to natural selection on the network level. I present data suggesting that highly connected proteins are not distinguishably older than other proteins, and explain this finding with a simple model of how a proteins degree changes in evolutionary time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of New Mexico and The Santa Fe Institute, 167A Castetter Hall, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131-1091, USA

    Andreas Wagner

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  1. Andreas Wagner
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Wagner, A. (2006). The Connectivity of Large Genetic Networks. In: Power Laws, Scale-Free Networks and Genome Biology. Molecular Biology Intelligence Unit. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-33916-7_4

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