Protein-Protein Interactions
Protein-protein interactions are when two or more proteins bind together in order to perform their function. It is important to know how proteins interact with each other because multiple proteins usually particpate in the same pathway and won't function properly without the help of other proteins. STRING was used to find proteins that interact with SMPD1. STRING will analyze these interactions in humans as well as in other organisms. This is beneficial because it allows us to see if SMPD1 plays a different role in other organisms than it does in humans.
Human SMPD1 Interactions
Figure 1. Each ball represents a different protein that interacts with SMPD1 (red ball).
The different colored lines indicate how they interact.
The different colored lines indicate how they interact.
Expanded Human SMPD1 Interactions
Figure 2. When looking closer at the interactions of other proteins with SMPD1 the map gets more complicated. SMPD1 is located in the middle between two clusters. The top cluster contains proteins that mostly play a role in apoptosis. The bottom cluster contains the proteins that work together in catabolism.
Drosophila CG3376 Interactions
Figure 3. It is important to look at protein interaction maps in other organisms to see if they are similar to humans. CG3376 is the fly homolog of SMPD1. Many of the proteins are uncharacterized, which means their role is unknown. Most of the other proteins play similar roles as in humans. This interaction map led me to my Future Directions.
Analysis and Discussion
The human protein interaction maps are useful to show what processes SMPD1 is involved in. The interactions were very expected as we know that SMPD1 functions in lipid metabolism, and the end product ceramide functions in apoptosis. This was the role of the two main clusters found. The characterized proteins in Drosophila also delt with lipids. I found an interesting protein in the Drosophila map called Lazaro. This was a little unexpected because it functions in phototransduction and light sensitivty, which was different from all the other proteins. This finding is what led me to my Future Directions.
References
STRING
STRING