Discovering Lethal Proteins in Protein Interaction Networks

This chapter introduces state-of-the-art computational methods which discover lethal proteins from Protein Interaction Networks (PINs). Lethal proteins are an interesting subject in understanding the minimal condition for cellular development and survival. A dysfunctional research subject or absence of a lethal protein would result in fatality of the cell. Biological experiments have been conducted to systematically detect such proteins. However, such processes are time consuming and requires huge amount of effort to conduct. The researchers have developed a series of computational methods which take advantage of the network properties of individual proteins to detect lethal proteins in PINs. In this chapter, each computational method is studied in depth with an analysis on its pros and cons. Finally, a discussion on the possible further research directions will conclude the chapter.