Network analysis reveals metabolic rewiring and enhanced pathway connectivity in BCD (IMAGE)
Caption
(a) Functional-correlation networks comparing metabolic connectivity between controls (top) and patients with BCD (bottom). The BCD network exhibits greater complexity (23 vs. 15 edges). Subnetworks were constructed using the top 10 differentially expressed metabolites selected based on a random forest importance score ≥ 6 and ranked by absolute fold change. Edges represent statistically significant Spearman correlations (|r| > 0.6), with a minimum of two connections retained per node. Nodes are colored according to metabolic pathway, and node size reflects degree (number of connections). (b) Pie charts showing the distribution of edge types. Edges were classified as functional-only (shared pathway membership without significant correlation), correlation-only (significant co-expression without a known functional relationship), or overlap (both criteria met). Patients with BCD exhibit increased functional-correlation overlap (38% vs. 13%). (c) Scatter plot of changes in network connectivity (degree change), calculated as BCD degree − Control degree. Sedoheptulose 7-phosphate shows the greatest increase in connectivity (from 3 to 7 connections), emerging as a metabolic super-hub in the BCD network.
Credit
Yingke Zhao
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