To build a functional proteasome, its subunits must be co-expressed in the right proportions. We analyzed gene expression patterns across patient tissues to identify closely linked subunits. The talk will describe how using data from normal breast tissue, we created network models that matched known 26S proteasome EM structures and applying this approach to breast cancer subtypes, how we landed on identifying -key regulators of proteasome integrity. This turned into a treasure hunt where we surprisingly found that PSMD9, a chaperone of assembly acted as a licensing factor for holo-complex assembly favoring a 20S high state important for tumor survival. The talk will also briefly cover the role of short linear motifs and their ability to build interaction network and functional modules across evolution. Both stories will be centered on the chaperone PSMD9. I am hoping that this will fuel discussions to understand some unifying principles in biology.