Network Theory in Biology
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrg1272
In class, we’ve talked about network theory in social, economic, and physical contexts, but as a student majoring in biochemistry, I wanted to look into how network theory has impacted how we study biochemistry and biology. The link above is to a paper that shows how our understanding of the cell’s evolution and organization can be enhanced and broadened with the use of quantifiable tools of network theory.
In recent years, network theory has been applied to the interrogation of biological systems with the help of the development of high-throughput data-collection techniques. Through these techniques, different networks are produced, such as protein-protein interaction, metabolic signaling, and transcription-regulatory networks. However, these networks are actually part of an even larger, overarching network that details the entire behavior of the cell, and it has been the challenge of modern biology to consolidate and understand the dynamic properties of these various networks that dictate cell behavior.
What has helped biologists better analyze the cellular networks is the quickly developing theory of complex networks, which has recently made large strides in understanding the organizational principles that control the evolution and creation of different social and technological networks. What is mind-blowing is that the research in network theory has led to the realization that the structural features of molecular interaction networks are also seen in other complex networks, such as those in the social and technological spheres. This discovery suggests that similar laws may govern most complex networks in nature.
This paper provides a bridge between social science and biological science, showing that the world is in fact more interconnected than we had ever imagined, regardless of if we are looking at the world form a macro or micro perspective. In class, we have focused on how networks mediate the flow of information in social contexts, but this paper highlights how networks are everywhere, all around us and within us. The same flow of information that occurs between people occurs at a cellular level between organelles and organs.
I think it is often easy for biologists to get lost in the details of cellular processes, such as which specific proteins catalyze which specific reactions in a specified location within the cell. It’s also often very difficult to find ways to bring together all the specific cellular information we have into a larger picture, so to be able to employ new network theory techniques in this process is extremely exciting for the field of biology.