Pavlicev Mihaela, Wagner Günter P
Unit for Theoretical Biology, Department for Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria.
Complexity Science Hub, Vienna 1090, Austria.
iScience. 2024 Apr 5;27(5):109670. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109670. eCollection 2024 May 17.
Biological function depends on the composition and structure of the organism, the latter describing the organization of interactions between parts. While cells in multicellular organisms are capable of a remarkable degree of autonomy, most functions do require cell communication: the coordination of functions (growth, differentiation, and apoptosis), the compartmentalization of cellular processes, and the integration of cells into higher levels of structural organization. A wealth of data on putative cell interactions has become available, yet its biological interpretation depends on our expectations about the structure of interaction networks. Here, we attempt to formulate basic questions to ask when interpreting cell interaction data. We build on the understanding that cells fulfill two general functions: the integrity-maintaining and the organismal service function. We derive the expected patterns of cell interactions considering two intertwined aspects: the functional and the evolutionary. Based on these, we propose guidelines for analysis and interpretation of transcriptional cell-interactome data.
生物功能取决于生物体的组成和结构，后者描述了各部分之间相互作用的组织方式。虽然多细胞生物体中的细胞具有相当程度的自主性，但大多数功能确实需要细胞通讯：功能的协调（生长、分化和凋亡）、细胞过程的区室化以及细胞整合到更高层次的结构组织中。关于假定细胞相互作用的大量数据已经可得，但其生物学解释取决于我们对相互作用网络结构的预期。在这里，我们试图提出在解释细胞相互作用数据时要问的基本问题。我们基于这样的认识，即细胞履行两种一般功能：维持完整性和为生物体服务的功能。我们考虑两个相互交织的方面——功能和进化——来推导细胞相互作用的预期模式。基于这些，我们提出了转录细胞相互作用组数据分析和解释的指导原则。
