An interaction is inferred when close proximity of interaction partners is detected by fluorescence resonance energy transfer between pairs of fluorophore-labeled molecules, such as occurs between CFP (donor) and YFP (acceptor) fusion proteins.

An interaction is inferred between proteins in vitro. This can include proteins in recombinant form or proteins isolated directly from cells with recombinant or purified bait. For example, GST pull-down assays where a GST-tagged protein is first isolated and then used to fish interactors from cell lysates are considered reconstituted complexes (e.g. PUBMED: 14657240, Fig. 4A or PUBMED: 14761940, Fig. 5). This can also include gel-shifts, surface plasmon resonance, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and bio-layer interferometry (BLI) experiments. The bait-hit directionality may not be clear for 2 interacting proteins. In these cases the directionality is up to the discretion of the curator.

A genetic interaction is inferred when mutations or deletions in separate genes, each of which alone causes a minimal phenotype, result in lethality when combined in the same cell under a given condition.