Cytoscape is an open source bioinformatics software platform for visualizing molecular interaction networks and biological pathways and integrating these networks with annotations, gene expression profiles and other state data.

Although Cytoscape was originally designed for biological research, now it is a general platform for complex network analysis and visualization.

Cytoscape core distribution provides a basic set of features for data integration and visualization. Additional features are available as plugins.

Plugins are available for network and molecular profiling analyses, additional file format support, scripting, new layouts, and connection with databases.

Plugins may be developed by anyone using the Cytoscape open API based on Java technology and plugin community development is encouraged.

Here are some key features of "Cytoscape":

Supports Many Standards:
· Cytoscape supports a lot of standard network and annotation file formats including: SIF (Simple Interaction Format), GML, XGMML, BioPAX, PSI-MI, SBML, OBO, and Gene Association. Delimited text files and MS Excel Workbook are also supported and you can import data files, such as expression profiles or GO annotations, generated by other applications or spreadsheet programs. Using this feature, you can load and save arbitrary attributes on nodes, edges, and networks. For example, input a set of custom annotation terms for your proteins, create a set of confidence values for your protein-protein interactions.

Web Service Clients:
· Cytoscape works as a web service client. This means Cytoscape can directly connect to the external public databases and imports network and annotation data. Currently, Pathway Commons, IntAct, BioMart, NCBI Entrez Gene, and PICR are supported. And we continue to develop new service clients for popular databases.

Interoperability:
· Since Cytoscape supports import/export standard file formats, you can easily put Cytoscape into your workflow. For example, if you have a network data generated by igraph or Bioconductor, Cytoscape can load the file as a text table and you can export it in PSI-MI format for other bioinformatics tools or your own programs/scripts.

Session File:
· You can save your work by a single click. All of settings, data files, and visualizations are packed in a session file. It is called Cytoscape Session (.cys) file. Cytoscape Session file includes networks, attributes (for node/edge/network), Desktop states (selected/hidden nodes and edges, window sizes), Properties, some plugin states, and Visual Styles.

Requirements:

· Java SE 5 or later