Tag: metabolic pathway

Gene expression pattern analysis illuminates diverse aspects of biological function

February 14, 2024

It is common knowledge that the genetic repertoire of an organisms lends unique functions to the species. But, it is less well known that differential gene expression pattern can lead to different morphotypes and phenotypic traits in the same species. At the heart of differential gene expression pattern analysis is that not all genes are … More Gene expression pattern analysis illuminates diverse aspects of biological function

Evolution is often a necessary step in metabolic engineering research seeking to implement a new pathway into a species

February 6, 2024

Desire to optimise endogenous cellular metabolism or to prod a microbe to use a new unconventional substrate often requires the implementation of new metabolic pathway in a microbial chassis. While this can be done through a combination of gene overexpression and deletions, the new metabolic pathway often only allows slow growth for the species. This … More Evolution is often a necessary step in metabolic engineering research seeking to implement a new pathway into a species

Tricarboxylic acid cycle provides critical intermediates that fuel cell growth

December 1, 2023

Whether prokaryotic or eukaryotic, cell growth requires an assortment of intermediates for building the structures and proteins necessary to constitute a functional cell. But, where do the intermediates or building blocks of cell comes from? The answer is metabolic pathways powered by enzymes. One important metabolic pathway that powers cell growth is tricarboxylic acid cycle. … More Tricarboxylic acid cycle provides critical intermediates that fuel cell growth

Enzymes with high activity need not be of high relative abundance

October 16, 2021

Depending on the strength of the promoter controlling gene expression, different proteins in a cell may be of different relative abundance. Proteins such as enzymes perform catalytic reaction in a cell. But, not all enzymes are of similar activity level as measured by the rate at which a substrate can be converted into a product. … More Enzymes with high activity need not be of high relative abundance

Reasons underpinning the evolution of biosynthetic gene clusters with concatenated genes in fungal genome

January 15, 2021

Biosynthetic gene clusters in fungus resemble those in bacterial species, particularly in the concatenation of multiple genes into a cluster similar in gene organization structure as an operon in bacterial cells. However, such gene organization is not common in eukaryotes where genes belonging to a metabolic pathway could be on different chromosomes. What drove the … More Reasons underpinning the evolution of biosynthetic gene clusters with concatenated genes in fungal genome

Metabolites connect different metabolic pathways

September 21, 2020

Metabolic pathways are not silos. In contrast, metabolic pathways interconnect and forms networks with distinctive characteristics. But, in this conceptualization, it is not common to realise that metabolites are the key nodes that allow one metabolic pathway to interconnect with another. At a broader scale, the ability of one metabolite to serve as substrates to … More Metabolites connect different metabolic pathways

Diverse products could be generated from a single pathway through substrate and enzyme promiscuity

June 21, 2020

Although it is common to associate a single product to a single metabolic pathway, a phenomenon known as enzyme promiscuity implies that for pathways with such enzymes, diverse products could be generated from a single pathway. Specifically, most enzymes have relatively narrow substrate range where only one or two substrates could be accepted by the … More Diverse products could be generated from a single pathway through substrate and enzyme promiscuity

Cell-based platforms are not ideal for targeted evolution of individual enzyme

June 1, 2020

Evolution is a common tool for developing new enzymes or new traits (phenotypes) in cells. However, a whole cell system may not be suitable as platform for developing enzymes as natural selection pressure acts on the entire cell with its set of intertwined metabolic network. To understand the problem more concretely, take as an example, … More Cell-based platforms are not ideal for targeted evolution of individual enzyme

Inferring the reactome of a species is the first step towards reconstruction of the metabolic network of the organism

September 24, 2019

Reactome of a cell refers to the ensemble of all biochemical reactions occurring within a cell. To understand the set of chemical reactions occurring in a cell would necessitate profiling all enzymes present in a cell. Each enzyme would participate in one or more chemical reactions. Thus, an understanding of the set of enzymes present … More Inferring the reactome of a species is the first step towards reconstruction of the metabolic network of the organism

Inferior solutions from single pathway-based drug discovery

April 12, 2018

Biomedical research typically focuses on a few pathways thought to be important to disease physiology; however, multiple pathways (both signalling and metabolic) are likely to be important to the clinical manifestations of complex diseases such as metabolic syndrome or cancer. Hence, what are the repercussions from biomedical research focus on single pathway for understanding disease … More Inferior solutions from single pathway-based drug discovery