The Open Systems Biology Journal

2010, 3 : 1-8
Published online 2010 April 29. DOI: 10.2174/1876392801003010001
Publisher ID: TOSYSBJ-3-1

RESEARCH ARTICLE
 Systems Biology Approach for Mapping TNFα-NFκB Mathematical Model to a Protein Interaction Map

Mahesh Visvanathan, *,1 , Christian Baumgartner2 , Bernhard Tilg 2 and Gerald Henry Lushington1
1 Bioinformatics Core Facility, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
2 University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology (UMIT) Hall in Tyrol, Austria

* Address correspondence to this author at the Bioinformatics Core Facility, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA; Tel: 785-864-3337; Fax: 785-864-8141; E-mail: mvisvanathan@ku.edu

ABSTRACT

We investigated different mathematical models concerning signaling pathways and built a new pathway model for TNFα-NFκB signaling using an integrative analytical approach. This integrative approach consists of a knowledgebase, model designing/visualization and simulation environments. In particular, our new TNFα-NFκB signaling pathway model was developed based on literature studies and the use of ordinary differential equations and a detailed protein-protein interaction connectivity map within this approach. Using the most detailed mathematical model as a base model, three new proteins -- TRAF1, FLIP, and MEKK3 -- were identified and included in our new model. Our results show that this integrative approach offers the most detailed and consistent mathematical description for TNFα-NFκB signaling and further increases the understanding of TNFα-NFκB signaling pathway. This tool can be downloaded through the following link (http://sourceforge.net/projects/dmsp11/).

Keywords:

TNFα mediated NFκB signaling pathway, protein-protein interaction and mathematical model.