Beyond overlap in kinetoplastid interactomes

Abstract

Independent protein-protein interaction networks in kinetoplastid parasites show little overlap, often interpreted as biological divergence. We argue that this pattern largely reflects fragmented sampling. Integrating interactomes from Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania donovani improves functional coverage and interpretability while preserving lineage-specific assemblies, providing a framework for hypothesis generation across species.

Keywords: Tritryps; comparative interactomics; conserved protein interactions; functional networks; lineage-specific complexes.