A network of interactions is called modular if it is subdivided into relatively autonomous, internally highly connected components. Modularity has emerged as a rallying point for research in developmental and evolutionary biology (and specifically evo-devo), as well as in molecular systems biology.
Types
functional modularity
disease modularity
References
Oti M, Brunner HG. The modular nature of genetic diseases.Clin Genet. 2007 Jan;71(1):1-11. PMID: 17204041
Simpson P. The stars and stripes of animal bodies: evolution of regulatory elements mediating pigment and bristle patterns in Drosophila. Trends Genet. 2007 Jul;23(7):350-8. PMID: 17499383
Wagner GP, Pavlicev M, Cheverud JM. The road to modularity. Nat Rev Genet. 2007 Dec;8(12):921-31. PMID: 18007649
Chen Y, Dokholyan NV. The coordinated evolution of yeast proteins is constrained by functional modularity. Trends Genet. 2006 Aug;22(8):416-9. PMID: 16797778