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PathAligner: metabolic pathway retrieval and alignment.

MOTIVATION: Analysis of metabolic pathways is a central topic in understanding the relationship between genotype and phenotype. The rapid accumulation of biological data provides the possibility of studying metabolic pathways at both the genomic and the metabolic levels. Retrieving metabolic pathways from current biological data sources, reconstructing metabolic pathways from rudimentary pathway components, and aligning metabolic pathways with each other are major tasks. Our motivation was to develop a conceptual framework and computational system that allows the retrieval of metabolic pathway information and the processing of alignments to reveal the similarities between metabolic pathways. RESULTS: PathAligner extracts metabolic information from biological databases via the Internet and builds metabolic pathways with data sources of genes, sequences, enzymes, metabolites etc. It provides an easy-to-use interface to retrieve, display and manipulate metabolic information. PathAligner also provides an alignment method to compare the similarity between metabolic pathways. AVAILABILITY: PathAligner is available at http://bibiserv.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/pathaligner.

Algorithms↗

Recovering metabolic pathways via optimization.

A metabolic pathway is a coherent set of enzyme catalysed biochemical reactions by which a living organism transforms an initial (source) compound into a final (target) compound. Some of the different metabolic pathways adopted within organisms have been experimentally determined. In this paper, we show that a number of experimentally determined metabolic pathways can be recovered by a mathematical optimization model.

Metabolic Networks and Pathways↗

Metabolic pathways of the fossil dinosaur bones. Part III. Intermediary and other osteocytes in the system of metabolic pathways of dinosaur bone.

The fossil dinosaur bone material, 80 million years old was studied. Samples for analysis were prepared with specially elaborated methods. Images obtained in the light, transmission electron, and scanning electron microscopes revealed the spatial distribution of the osteocytes lying near and far from the vascular canal. Osteocytes of particular kind were found to be present in the immediate vicinity of the canal. The characteristic morphological structure and the localization of this osteocytes between the vascular canal and the osteocytes lying farther from the canal, as well as the mediation of this cell in the system of connections between those elements, served as a basis for the separation of this cells as the intermediary osteocyte. Among the osteocytes situated farther from the vascular canal, three kinds were distinguished: mono-, bi-, and multipolar, according to the kinds of processes and their distribution in relation to the mother cell body. By analogy with modern bone, in dinosaur bone specific functions may be ascribed to the distinguished types of osteocytes and to their differentiated processes in the conduction of nutrient and building elements and metabolites from the vascular canal to the intermediary osteocytes and, with their participation, to other osteocytes lying farther from the canal. This should naturally be analysed as the two-way tract.

Animals↗

Metabolism of chlorofluorocarbons and polybrominated compounds by Pseudomonas putida G786(pHG-2) via an engineered metabolic pathway.

The recombinant bacterium Pseudomonas putida G786(pHG-2) metabolizes pentachloroethane to glyoxylate and carbon dioxide, using cytochrome P-450CAM and toluene dioxygenase to catalyze consecutive reductive and oxidative dehalogenation reactions (L.P. Wackett, M.J. Sadowsky, L.N. Newman, H.-G. Hur, and S. Li, Nature [London] 368:627-629, 1994). The present study investigated metabolism of brominated and chlorofluorocarbon compounds by the recombinant strain. Under anaerobic conditions, P. putida G786(pHG-2) reduced 1,1,2,2-tetrabromoethane, 1,2-dibromo-1,2-dichloroethane, and 1,1,1,2-tetrachloro-2,2-difluoroethane to products bearing fewer halogen substituents. Under aerobic conditions, P. putida G786(pHG-2) oxidized cis- and trans-1,2-dibromoethenes, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-difluoroethene, and 1,2-dichloro-1-fluoroethene. Several compounds were metabolized by sequential reductive and oxidative reactions via the constructed metabolic pathway. For example, 1,1,2,2-tetrabromoethane was reduced by cytochrome P-450CAM to 1,2-dibromoethenes, which were subsequently oxidized by toluene dioxygenase. The same pathway metabolized 1,1,1,2-tetrachloro-2,2-difluoroethane to oxalic acid as one of the final products. The results obtained in this study indicate that P. putida G786(pHG-2) metabolizes polyfluorinated, chlorinated, and brominated compounds and further demonstrates the value of using a knowledge of catabolic enzymes and recombinant DNA technology to construct useful metabolic pathways.

Aerobiosis↗

Theory for the systemic definition of metabolic pathways and their use in interpreting metabolic function from a pathway-oriented perspective.

Cellular metabolism is most often described and interpreted in terms of the biochemical reactions that make up the metabolic network. Genomics is providing near complete information regarding the genes/gene products participating in cellular metabolism for a growing number of organisms. As the true functional units of metabolic systems are its pathways, the time has arrived to define metabolic pathways in the context of whole-cell metabolism for the analysis of the structural design and capabilities of the metabolic network. In this study, we present the theoretical foundations for the identification of the unique set of systemically independent biochemical pathways, termed extreme pathways, based on system stochiometry and limited thermodynamics. These pathways represent the edges of the steady-state flux cone derived from convex analysis, and they can be used to represent any flux distribution achievable by the metabolic network. An algorithm is presented to determine the set of extreme pathways for a system of any complexity and a classification scheme is introduced for the characterization of these pathways. The property of systemic independence is discussed along with its implications for issues related to metabolic regulation and the evolution of cellular metabolic networks. The underlying pathway structure that is determined from the set of extreme pathways now provides us with the ability to analyse, interpret, and perhaps predict metabolic function from a pathway-based perspective in addition to the traditional reaction-based perspective. The algorithm and classification scheme developed can be used to describe the pathway structure in annotated genomes to explore the capabilities of an organism.

Algorithms↗

In vitro identification of metabolic pathways and cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in the metabolism of etoperidone.

1. In vitro studies have been carried out to investigate the metabolic pathways and identify the hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes involved in etoperidone (Et) metabolism. 2. Ten in vitro metabolites were profiled, quantified and tentatively identified after incubation with human hepatic S9 fractions. Et was metabolized via three metabolic pathways: (A) alkyl hydroxylation to form OH-ethyl-Et (M1); (B) phenyl hydroxylation to form OH-phenyl-Et (M2); and (C) N-dealkylation to form 1-m-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP, M8) and triazole propyl aldehyde (M6). Six additional metabolites were formed by further metabolism of M1, M2, M6 and M8. 3. Kinetic studies revealed that all metabolic pathways were monophasic, and the pathway leading to the formation of OH-ethyl-Et was the most efficient at eliminating the drug. On incubation with microsomes expressing individual recombinant CYPs, formation rates of M1-3 and M8 were 10-100-fold greater for CYP3A4 than that for other CYP forms. The formation of these metabolites was markedly inhibited by the CYP3A4-specific inhibitor ketoconazole, whereas other CYP-specific inhibitors did not show significant effects. In addition, the production of M1-3 and M8 was strongly correlated with CYP3A4-mediated testosterone 6beta-hydroxylase activities in 13 different human liver microsome samples. 4. Dealkylation of the major metabolite M1 to form mCPP (M8) was also investigated using microsomes containing recombinant CYP enzymes. The rate of conversion of M1 to mCPP by CYP3A4 was 503.0 +/- 3.1 pmole nmole(-1) min(-1). Metabolism of M1 to M8 by other CYP enzymes was insignificant. In addition, this metabolism in human liver microsomes was extensively inhibited by the CYP3A4 inhibitor ketoconazole, but not by other CYP-specific inhibitors. In addition, conversion of M1 to M8 was highly correlated with CYP3A4-mediated testosterone 6beta-hydroxylase activity. 5. The results strongly suggest that CYP3A4 is the predominant enzyme-metabolizing Et in humans.

Chromatography, Liquid↗

Pathway confirmation and flux analysis of central metabolic pathways in Desulfovibrio vulgaris hildenborough using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

Flux distribution in central metabolic pathways of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough was examined using 13C tracer experiments. Consistent with the current genome annotation and independent evidence from enzyme activity assays, the isotopomer results from both gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) indicate the lack of an oxidatively functional tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and an incomplete pentose phosphate pathway. Results from this study suggest that fluxes through both pathways are limited to biosynthesis. The data also indicate that >80% of the lactate was converted to acetate and that the reactions involved are the primary route of energy production [NAD(P)H and ATP production]. Independently of the TCA cycle, direct cleavage of acetyl coenzyme A to CO and 5,10-methyl tetrahydrofuran also leads to production of NADH and ATP. Although the genome annotation implicates a ferredoxin-dependent oxoglutarate synthase, isotopic evidence does not support flux through this reaction in either the oxidative or the reductive mode; therefore, the TCA cycle is incomplete. FT-ICR MS was used to locate the labeled carbon distribution in aspartate and glutamate and confirmed the presence of an atypical enzyme for citrate formation suggested in previous reports [the citrate synthesized by this enzyme is the isotopic antipode of the citrate synthesized by the (S)-citrate synthase]. These findings enable a better understanding of the relation between genome annotation and actual metabolic pathways in D. vulgaris and also demonstrate that FT-ICR MS is a powerful tool for isotopomer analysis, overcoming the problems with both GC-MS and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Acetyl Coenzyme A↗

Treatment of multifunctional enzymes in metabolic pathway analysis.

In metabolic pathway analysis, it should be considered that many enzymes operate with low specificity (e.g. nucleoside diphosphokinase, uridine kinase, transketolase, aldolase), so that various substrates and products can be converted. Here, we analyze the effect of enzymes with low substrate specificity on the elementary flux modes (pathways). We also study the benefits of two different approaches to describing multifunctional enzymes. The usual description is in terms of (overall) enzymatic reactions. At a more detailed level, the reaction steps (half-reactions, hemi-reactions) of the formation and conversion of enzyme-substrate complexes are considered. Multifunctional enzymes operate according to various mechanisms. This is illustrated here by the reaction schemes for the different enzyme mechanisms of bifunctional enzymes. For enzymes with two or more functions, it is important to consider only linearly independent functions, because otherwise cyclic elementary modes would occur which do not perform any net transformation. However, the choice of linearly independent functions is not a priori unique. We give a method for making this choice unique by considering the extreme pathways of the hemi-reactions system. A formal application of the algorithm for computing elementary flux modes (pathways) yields the result that the number of such modes sometimes depend on the level of description if some reactions are reversible and the products of the multifunctional enzymes are external metabolites or some multifunctional enzymes partly share the same metabolites. However, this problem can be solved by appropriate interpretation of the definition of elementary modes and the correct choice of independent functions of multifunctional enzymes. The analysis is illustrated by a biochemical example taken from nucleotide metabolism, comparing the two ways of description for nucleoside diphosphokinase and adenylate kinase, and by several smaller examples.

Adenylate Kinase↗

Novel pathway engineering design of the anaerobic central metabolic pathway in Escherichia coli to increase succinate yield and productivity.

A novel in vivo method of producing succinate has been developed. A genetically engineered Escherichia coli strain has been constructed to meet the NADH requirement and carbon demand to produce high quantities and yield of succinate by strategically implementing metabolic pathway alterations. Currently, the maximum theoretical succinate yield under strictly anaerobic conditions through the fermentative succinate biosynthesis pathway is limited to one mole per mole of glucose due to NADH limitation. The implemented strategic design involves the construction of a dual succinate synthesis route, which diverts required quantities of NADH through the traditional fermentative pathway and maximizes the carbon converted to succinate by balancing the carbon flux through the fermentative pathway and the glyoxylate pathway (which has less NADH requirement). The synthesis of succinate uses a combination of the two pathways to balance the NADH. Consequently, experimental results indicated that these combined pathways gave the most efficient conversion of glucose to succinate with the highest yield using only 1.25 moles of NADH per mole of succinate in contrast to the sole fermentative pathway, which uses 2 moles of NADH per mole of succinate. A recombinant E. coli strain, SBS550MG, was created by deactivating adhE, ldhA and ack-pta from the central metabolic pathway and by activating the glyoxylate pathway through the inactivation of iclR, which encodes a transcriptional repressor protein of the glyoxylate bypass. The inactivation of these genes in SBS550MG increased the succinate yield from glucose to about 1.6 mol/mol with an average anaerobic productivity rate of 10 mM/h (approximately 0.64 mM/h-OD600). This strain is capable of fermenting high concentrations of glucose in less than 24 h. Additional derepression of the glyxoylate pathway by inactivation of arcA, leading to a strain designated as SBS660MG, did not significantly increase the succinate yield and it decreased glucose consumption by 80%. It was also observed that an adhE, ldhA and ack-pta mutant designated as SBS990MG, was able to achieve a high succinate yield similar to SBS550MG when expressing a Bacillus subtilis NADH-insensitive citrate synthase from a plasmid.

Anaerobiosis↗

Blood acidification in the swimbladder: mechanisms and metabolic pathways.

The metabolism of gas gland cells of the swimbladder epithelium is specialized for the production of acidic metabolites that are released into the blood stream and provoke an increase in gas partial pressure by reducing the effective gas-carrying capacity of the blood. In a subsequent step this initial increase in gas partial pressure is multiplied by back-diffusion of gas molecules from the venous to the arterial side in the countercurrent system, the rete mirabile. Thus, gas partial pressures of up to several hundred atmospheres can be generated in the swimbladder. Measurements of metabolic end products and analysis of the formation of 14CO2 from [1-14C]glucose and [6-14C]glucose revealed that the acidic metabolites are lactic acid, produced in the glycolytic pathway, and also CO2, formed in the pentose phosphate shunt. CO2 easily enters the blood stream by diffusion. The release of protons from isolated gas gland cells, however, is highly dependent on the extracellular sodium concentration. This sodium dependence can in part be blocked by addition of amiloride, indicating that a Na+/H+ exchanger is involved in the release of protons. A significant decrease in the rate of proton secretion in the presence of the carbonic anhydrase inhibitor ethoxzolamide indicates that the second major route for the release of protons includes carbonic anhydrase activity and the diffusion of CO2.

Air Sacs↗

Deriving phylogenetic trees from the similarity analysis of metabolic pathways.

MOTIVATION: Comparative analysis of metabolic pathways in different genomes can give insights into the understanding of evolutionary and organizational relationships among species. This type of analysis allows one to measure the evolution of complete processes (with different functional roles) rather than the individual elements of a conventional analysis. We present a new technique for the phylogenetic analysis of metabolic pathways based on the topology of the underlying graphs. A distance measure between graphs is defined using the similarity between nodes of the graphs and the structural relationship between them. This distance measure is applied to the enzyme-enzyme relational graphs derived from metabolic pathways. Using this approach, pathways and group of pathways of different organisms are compared to each other and the resulting distance matrix is used to obtain a phylogenetic tree. RESULTS: We apply the method to the Citric Acid Cycle and the Glycolysis pathways of different groups of organisms, as well as to the Carbohydrate metabolic networks. Phylogenetic trees obtained from the experiments were close to existing phylogenies and revealed interesting relationships among organisms.

Algorithms↗

Hydralazine-induced lupus: is there a toxic metabolic pathway?

The metabolism of hydralazine in a group of slow acetylator patients with the drug-induced lupus syndrome was compared with the metabolism in asymptomatic control subjects. There were no toxicologically significant difference in metabolite excretion between the groups which reached statistical significance, although there were interesting trends. However, the single lupus patient with the rapid acetylator phenotype excreted considerably greater quantities of phthalazinone than control patients and also increased amounts of hydrazine and hydralazine hydrazones. These results and the trends overall are consistent with the hypothesis that the metabolism of hydralazine may indeed be responsible for the drug induced lupus syndrome.

Acetylation↗

Guanosine metabolism in adult rat cardiac myocytes: inhibition by acyclovir and analysis of a metabolic pathway.

The metabolic fate of transported guanosine was examined in adult rat cardiac myocytes. Freshly isolated cells were incubated with 50 microM 8-[3H]-guanosine and the purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) inhibitor acyclovir, and the nucleotide products extracted and examined for radiolabel distribution. Acyclovir inhibited guanosine incorporation into the 5'-nucleotide pool up to 66%. The drug did not inhibit guanosine transport. Other experiments using 5'-[3H]-guanosine and 8-[14C]-guanosine in concert as metabolic tracers showed both tritium and radiocarbon in the guanine nucleotide products. We concluded from this study that both a kinase (probably adenosine kinase) and the enzyme pair purine nucleoside phosphorylase/hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase are responsible for guanosine salvage in heart cells.

Acyclovir↗

Metabolic syndrome-interdependence of the cardiovascular and metabolic pathways.

The metabolic syndrome is a worldwide epidemic, setting the stage for type 2 diabetes and its microvascular complications, and acceleration of macrovascular disease. Insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension, thrombotic disorders and adiposity define the metabolic syndrome and contribute to endothelial dysfunction and, subsequently, to accelerated atherosclerosis. Angiotensin II contributes to the development and progression of cardiovascular and renal endpoints and, as such, angiotensin II receptor blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors demonstrate a protective effect. Ligands for the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma), appear to impact favourably on atherosclerosis through both direct and indirect mechanisms. In humans, these ligands improve endothelial function, attenuate albuminuria and hypertension, and potentially prevent conversion of prediabetes to type 2 diabetes. Statins also have proven benefit in decreasing overall cardiovascular and stroke mortality and morbidity. The combination of angiotensin II blockade, statin therapy and PPAR gamma activation might emerge as an important global therapeutic strategy in the metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Further studies are needed to determine whether they have synergistic effects to protect the vasculature.

Animals↗

In silico metabolic pathway analysis and design: succinic acid production by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli as an example.

The intracellular metabolic fluxes can be calculated by metabolic flux analysis, which uses a stoichiometric model for the intracellular reactions along with mass balances around the intracellular metabolites. In this study, we have constructed in silico metabolic pathway network of Escherichia coli consisting of 301 reactions and 294 metabolites. Metabolic flux analyses were carried out to estimate flux distributions to achieve the maximum in silico yield of succinic acid in E. coli. The maximum in silico yield of succinic acid was only 83% of its theoretical yield. The lower in silico yield of succinic acid was found to be due to the insufficient reducing power, which could be increased to its theoretical yield by supplying more reducing power. Furthermore, the optimal metabolic pathways for the production of succinic acid could be proposed based on the results of metabolic flux analyses. In the case of succinic acid production, it was found that pyruvate carboxylation pathway should be used rather than phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylation pathway for its optimal production in E. coli. Then, the in silico optimal succinic acid pathway was compared with conventional succinic acid pathway through minimum set of wet experiments. The results of wet experiments indicate that the pathway predicted by in silico analysis is more efficient than conventional pathway.

Computational Biology↗

Defining control coefficients in non-ideal metabolic pathways.

The extent to which an enzyme controls a flux has been defined as the effect on that flux of a small modulation of the activity of that enzyme divided by the magnitude of the modulation. We here show that in pathways with metabolic channelling or high enzyme concentrations and conserved moieties involving both enzymic and non-enzymic species, this definition is ambiguous; the magnitude of the corresponding flux control coefficient depends on how the enzyme activity is modulated. This is illustrated with two models of biochemically relevant pathways, one in which dynamic metabolite channelling plays a role, and one with a moiety-conserved cycle. To avoid such ambiguity, we view biochemical pathways in a more detailed manner, i.e., as a network of elemental steps. We define 'elemental control coefficients' in terms of the effect on a flux of an equal modulation of the forward and reverse rate constant of any such elemental step (which may correspond to transitions between enzyme states). This elemental control coefficient is independent of the method of modulation. We show how metabolic control analysis can proceed when formulated in terms of the elemental control coefficients and how the traditional control coefficients are related to these elemental control coefficients. An 'impact' control coefficient is defined which quantifies the effect of an activation of all elemental processes in which an enzyme is involved. It equals the sum of the corresponding elemental control coefficients. In ideal metabolic pathways this impact control coefficient reduces to the traditional flux control coefficient. Differences between the traditional control coefficients are indicative of non-ideality of a metabolic pathway, i.e. of channelling or high enzyme concentrations.

Journal Article↗

The metabolic pathway collection: an update.

The Metabolic Pathway Collection from EMP is an extraction of data from the larger Enzymes and Metabolic Pathways database (EMP). This extraction has been made publicly available in the hope that others will find it useful for a variety of purposes. The original release in October 1995 contained 1814 distinct pathways. The current collection contains 2180. Metabolic reconstructions for the first completely sequenced organisms-Haemophilus influenzae,Mycoplasma genitalium,Saccharomyces cerevisiaeandMethanococcus janaschii-are all included in the current release. All of the pathways in the collections are available as ASCII files in the form generated by the main curator, Evgeni Selkov. In addition, we are offering a more structured encoding of a subset of the collection; our initial release of this subcollection includes all of the pathways inMycoplasma genitalium, and we ultimately intend to offer the entire collection in this form as well.

Databases, Factual↗