A Collaboration Network Model Of Cytokine-Protein Network

TL;DR

This paper models cytokine-protein interactions as a collaboration network using data from STRING, revealing key mediators and network properties that highlight immune regulation mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces a cytokine-protein network model based on cooperation network theory, analyzing degree distributions and network structure with new insights into immune system regulation.

Findings

Key cytokines and proteins are highly collaborative.

Degree distributions follow shifted power law functions.

Average shortest path length is 1.29.

Abstract

Complex networks provide us a new view for investigation of immune systems. In this paper we collect data through STRING database and present a model with cooperation network theory. The cytokine-protein network model we consider is constituted by two kinds of nodes, one is immune cytokine types which can act as acts, other one is protein type which can act as actors. From act degree distribution that can be well described by typical SPL -shifted power law functions, we find that HRAS.TNFRSF13C.S100A8.S100A1.MAPK8.S100A7.LIF.CCL4.CXCL13 are highly collaborated with other proteins. It reveals that these mediators are important in cytokine-protein network to regulate immune activity. Dyad act degree distribution is another important property to generalized collaboration network. Dyad is two proteins and they appear in one cytokine collaboration relationship. The dyad act degree distribution can be well described by typical SPL functions. The length of the average shortest path is 1.29. These results show that this model could describe the cytokine-protein collaboration preferably