STRING

Understanding STRING: A Gateway to Protein Interaction Networks

STRING has established itself as an indispensable resource in molecular biology research by providing a unified view of protein interactions and functional associations. This database integrates information from various sources to create comprehensive protein interaction networks.

Core Features and Capabilities

1. Data Integration Source Types:

• Experimental data
• Database imports
• Text mining results
• Genomic context predictions
• Co-expression patterns
• Phylogenetic profiles

2. Interaction Types Coverage:

• Direct physical interactions
• Functional associations
• Regulatory relationships
• Metabolic pathway links
• Co-expression patterns
• Evolutionary relationships

Key Functionalities

1. Network Visualization

• Interactive network maps
• Confidence scoring
• Edge type indication
• Node annotation
• Clustering analysis
• Network statistics

2. Analysis Tools

• Enrichment analysis
• Network expansion
• Protein domain analysis
• Tissue expression
• Disease association
• Drug-target relationships

Research Applications

1. Systems Biology

• Network analysis
• Pathway mapping
• Function prediction
• Drug discovery
• Disease mechanisms

2. Experimental Design

• Target identification
• Hypothesis generation
• Experimental validation
• Interaction prediction
• Pathway analysis

3. Clinical Research

• Disease networks
• Drug targets
• Biomarker discovery
• Pathway analysis
• Mechanism studies