Spatiotemporal network motif reveals the biological traits of developmental gene regulatory networks in Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Network motifs provided a "conceptual tool" for understanding the functional principles of biological networks, but such motifs have primarily been used to consider static network structures. Static networks, however, cannot be used to reveal time- and region-specific traits of biological systems. To overcome this limitation, we proposed the concept of a "spatiotemporal network motif," a spatiotemporal sequence of network motifs of sub-networks which are active only at specific time points and body parts.

Results

On the basis of this concept, we analyzed the developmental gene regulatory network of the Drosophila melanogaster embryo. We identified spatiotemporal network motifs and investigated their distribution pattern in time and space. As a result, we found how

SUBMITTER: Kim MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3434043 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature