Composition of Metabolic Flux Distributions by Functionally Interpretable Minimal Flux Modes (MinModes)

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All cellular functions are ultimately linked to the metabolism which constitutes a highly branchednetwork of thousands of enzyme-catalyzed chemical reactions and carrier-mediated transport processes.Depending on the prevailing functions (e.g. detoxification of a toxin or accumulation ofbiomass) the distribution of fluxes in the metabolic network may vary considerably. To better revealand quantify this flux-function relationship we propose a novel computational approach which identifiesdistinct contributions -so called minimal flux modes (short: MinModes)-to a stationaryflux distribution in the network. Each of these contributions is characterized by a single metabolicoutput. A MinMode is a minimal (according to a defined cost function) steady state flux distributionthat enables the production of a single metabolite. We apply this concept to a metabolicnetwork of <I>Methylobacterium extorquens</I> AM1 comprising of 95 reactions and 74 metabolites, 17 ofthese metabolites entering the biomass of the bacterium and are thus considered as the metabolicoutput of the network. MinModes represent a manageable set of fundamental flux modes in thenetwork having a clear physiological meaning and-although not representing a basis in strictmathematical sense -provide a satisfactory approximation of the overall flux distribution in cases tested so far.
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