How well are known protein complexes supported in PPI networks?

Protein complexes are groups of two or more associated proteins which are in a stable long-term interaction. This paper examine how well protein complexes are supported in protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, i.e. whether they form connected subnetworks in a particular PPI network. For that purpose, we apply a variable neighborhood search metaheuristic algorithm for adding the minimum number of interactions in order to support each protein complex. Obtained experimental results can be useful for further biological interpretation and developing of PPI prediction models.