Comparative analysis of the gene co-regulatory network of normal and cancerous lung

The gene co-regulatory networks of normal and cancerous lung cells are constructed based on microarrays. In these networks, nodes represent genes and links represent co-regulatory relationships between genes. A comparison of these two networks indicates that they are significantly different in terms of both global statistical features and also in some details. The results imply at least four interesting messages: First, lung cancer is not simply a disordered system since it also has some rules in itself. Second, both of these networks can be decomposed into several functional modules, each of which is responsible for certain biological function. Third, among those functional modules, the module which is responsible for immune reactions seems to work independently rather than co-operating with others. Fourth, the phenomenon of module dysfunction is observed in cancerous lung cells.