%0 Book Section %1 statphys23_0065 %A Ouyang, Q. %B Abstract Book of the XXIII IUPAP International Conference on Statistical Physics %C Genova, Italy %D 2007 %E Pietronero, Luciano %E Loreto, Vittorio %E Zapperi, Stefano %K biological design drosophila embryogenesis modular network robustness statphys23 structure topic-10 topological %T Robustness and modular design of a biological network %U http://st23.statphys23.org/webservices/abstract/preview_pop.php?ID_PAPER=65 %X Biomolecular networks have to perform their functions robustly. A robust function may have preferences in the topological structures of the underlying network. To address this relationship, we carried out an exhaustive computational analysis on network topologies in relation to a patterning function in Drosophila embryogenesis. We found that while the vast majority of topologies can either not perform the required function or only do so very fragilely, a small fraction of topologies emerges as particularly robust for the function. The topology adopted by Drosophila, that of the segment polarity network, is a top ranking one among all topologies with no direct auto-regulation. Furthermore, we found that all robust topologies are modular—each being a combination of three kinds of modules. These modules can be traced back to three sub-functions of the patterning function and their combinations provide a combinatorial variability for the robust topologies. Our results suggest that the requirement of functional robustness drastically reduces the choices of viable topology to a limited set of modular combinations among which nature optimizes its choice under evolutionary and other biological constraints.

@incollection{statphys23_0065, abstract = {Biomolecular networks have to perform their functions robustly. A robust function may have preferences in the topological structures of the underlying network. To address this relationship, we carried out an exhaustive computational analysis on network topologies in relation to a patterning function in Drosophila embryogenesis. We found that while the vast majority of topologies can either not perform the required function or only do so very fragilely, a small fraction of topologies emerges as particularly robust for the function. The topology adopted by Drosophila, that of the segment polarity network, is a top ranking one among all topologies with no direct auto-regulation. Furthermore, we found that all robust topologies are modular—each being a combination of three kinds of modules. These modules can be traced back to three sub-functions of the patterning function and their combinations provide a combinatorial variability for the robust topologies. Our results suggest that the requirement of functional robustness drastically reduces the choices of viable topology to a limited set of modular combinations among which nature optimizes its choice under evolutionary and other biological constraints.}, added-at = {2007-06-20T10:16:09.000+0200}, address = {Genova, Italy}, author = {Ouyang, Q.}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/28f105c545c4dfff2f31faf48bd254134/statphys23}, booktitle = {Abstract Book of the XXIII IUPAP International Conference on Statistical Physics}, editor = {Pietronero, Luciano and Loreto, Vittorio and Zapperi, Stefano}, interhash = {8951ab3f0222c49ef4b4f92a8282badb}, intrahash = {8f105c545c4dfff2f31faf48bd254134}, keywords = {biological design drosophila embryogenesis modular network robustness statphys23 structure topic-10 topological}, month = {9-13 July}, timestamp = {2007-06-20T10:16:10.000+0200}, title = {Robustness and modular design of a biological network}, url = {http://st23.statphys23.org/webservices/abstract/preview_pop.php?ID_PAPER=65}, year = 2007 }