Centrality Measures for the Human Red Blood Cell Interactome

The red blood cell or erythrocyte is easily purified, readily available, and has a relatively simple structure. Therefore, it has become a very well studied cell in terms of protein composition and function. RBC proteomic studies performed over the last five years, by several laboratories, have identified 751 proteins within the human erythrocyte. Data describing most of their interactions are also available. This allowed us to assemble a preliminary interactome of the red blood cell. Identifying the role of certain proteins in the development of blood diseases, such as sickle cell disease, remains a challenge. To give future studies the benefit of focusing on a smaller subset of proteins, we consider several measures aimed to computationally establish the relative functional significance of protein members of the interactome.