A hierarchical model of metabolic machinery based on the kcore decomposition of plant metabolic networks

PLoS One. 2018 May 7;13(5):e0195843. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195843. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Modeling the basic structure of metabolic machinery is a challenge for modern biology. Some models based on complex networks have provided important information regarding this machinery. In this paper, we constructed metabolic networks of 17 plants covering unicellular organisms to more complex dicotyledonous plants. The metabolic networks were built based on the substrate-product model and a topological percolation was performed using the kcore decomposition. The distribution of metabolites across the percolation layers showed correlations between the metabolic integration hierarchy and the network topology. We show that metabolites concentrated in the internal network (maximum kcore) only comprise molecules of the primary basal metabolism. Moreover, we found a high proportion of a set of common metabolites, among the 17 plants, centered at the inner kcore layers. Meanwhile, the metabolites recognized as participants in the secondary metabolism of plants are concentrated in the outermost layers of the network. This data suggests that the metabolites in the central layer form a basic molecular module in which the whole plant metabolism is anchored. The elements from this central core participate in almost all plant metabolic reactions, which suggests that plant metabolic networks follows a centralized topology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Metabolic Networks and Pathways*
  • Models, Biological*
  • Plants / metabolism*

Grants and funding

H. A. F. gratefully acknowledges the financial support of CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, Brazil) (grant #153137/2013-4). J.M. is grateful for the support of CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) and CNPq grant #405503/2017-2. O.M.B. gratefully acknowledges the financial support of CNPq (grants #307797/2014-7, #405503/2017-2 and #153137/2013-4) and FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation) (grant #2014/08026-1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.