Affiliations: Instituto de Química UNAM, Circuito Exterior CP
04510, Coyoacán, México | Instituto Nacional de Astrofìsica óptica
y Electrónica, Apartado Postal 51 y 216, Sta. María Tonanzintla,
Puebla, México
Abstract: Ras is a protein related to cancer development. It is a convergence
point for different signal transduction pathways that allow the cell to respond
to external stimuli with different cell functions like growth, division, death,
etc. In this paper, we analyze the signal pathways generated by different Ras
effectors (Raf, RalGDS and PI3K), and the pathway relating Ras to the cell
cycle control. We show that the interaction among different elements of these
pathways induces a topologic structure in the set of elements. We discuss
properties of this topology and give an algorithm to build it. The application
of topological concepts makes easier the interaction analysis. Using a
computational algorithm, we can create isolated, independently manageable
sub-groups. Then we construct their hierarchical structure. The procedure
allows us to visualize groups of elements related to the Ras effectors involved
in cell growth, the elements involved in the cytoskeleton regulation, and the
elements related to the cell cycle control. Thus the division in sub-groups
does not only make easier the analysis, but it also provides a biologically
meaningful subdivision.
Keywords: cell signal transduction pathways, abstract topology, Ras protein
