Comparative interactomics build the bridges from micromolecules to biological behaviour and morphology

Behaviour, morphology and responses to stimuli in biological systems are determined by the genetic information of different types of biomolecules and the interactions between them. Comparative interactomics, the discipline devoted in comparing two or more interaction networks that happen in different species or under different cellular conditions, is a powerful tool for understanding systems evolution and the complex relationships that control cellular processes. This review provides an overview of data sources and research methods for comparative interactomics and the current directions in the application of comparative interactomics are summarised in brief. We also highlight the potential challenges of comparative interactomics in terms of interaction detection, noise delineation, alignment algorithms and quantitative network upgrading. We provide insights for future studies of network evolution using more accurate experimental and informative methodologies, with the hope that comparative interactomics to be further developed and build the study bridges from micromolecules to biological phenotypes.