| Definition: A single biological relationship between two or more entities. An interaction cannot be defined without the entities it relates.
Comment: Since it is a highly abstract class in the ontology, instances of the interaction class should be created rarely. Currently this class only has subclasses that define physical interactions; later levels of BioPAX may define other types of interactions, such as genetic (e.g. synthetic lethal).
Naming rationale: A number of names were considered for this concept, including “process”, “synthesis” and “relationship”; Interaction was chosen as it is understood by biologists in a biological context and is compatible with PSI-MI.
Examples: protein-protein interaction, biochemical reaction, enzyme catalysis |