Identifying correlations between chromosomal proximity of genes and distance of their products in protein-protein interaction networks of yeast

PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e57707. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057707. Epub 2013 Mar 6.

Abstract

In this article we present evidence for a relationship between chromosome gene loci and the topological properties of the protein-protein interaction network corresponding to the set of genes under consideration. Specifically, for each chromosome of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome, the distribution of the intra-chromosome inter-gene distances was analyzed and a positive correlation with the distance among the corresponding proteins of the protein-protein interaction network was found. In order to study this relationship we used concepts based on non-parametric statistics and information theory. We provide statistical evidence that if two genes are closely located, then it is likely that their protein products are closely located in the protein-protein interaction network, or in other words, that they are involved in the same biological process.

MeSH terms

  • Base Pairing / genetics
  • Chromatin / metabolism
  • Chromosomes, Fungal / genetics
  • Genes, Fungal / genetics*
  • Protein Interaction Maps / genetics*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Chromatin
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins

Grants and funding

The authors have no funding or support to report.