ModuLand plug-in for Cytoscape: extensively overlapping modules, community centrality and their use in biological networks

The extensively overlapping structure of network modules is an increasingly recognized feature of biological networks. Here we introduce a user-friendly implementation of our previous network module determination method, ModuLand, as a plug-in of the widely used Cytoscape program. We show the utility of this approach a.) to identify an extensively overlapping modular structure; b.) to define a modular core and hierarchy allowing an easier functional annotation; c.) to identify key nodes of high community centrality, modular overlap or bridgeness in protein structure, protein-protein interaction and metabolic networks.