  In this review, we give an introduction to the structural and functional
properties of the biological networks. We focus on three major themes: topology
of complex biological networks like the metabolic and protein-protein
interaction networks, nonlinear dynamics in gene regulatory networks and in
particular the design of synthetic genetic networks using the concepts and
techniques of nonlinear physics and lastly the effect of stochasticity on the
dynamics. The examples chosen illustrate the usefulness of interdisciplinary
approaches in the study of biological networks.
