Protein-protein interactions is a longstanding challenge in cardiac remodeling processes and heart failure. Here, we use the MetaCore network and the Google matrix algorithms for prediction of protein-protein interactions dictating cardiac fibrosis, a primary cause of end-stage heart failure. The developed algorithms allow identification of interactions between key proteins and predict new actors orchestrating fibroblast activation linked to fibrosis in mouse and human tissues. These data hold great promise for uncovering new therapeutic targets to limit myocardial fibrosis.
Keywords: Google matrix; Markov chains; directed networks; fibrosis; protein–protein interactions.