A systematic evaluation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Genome-Scale Metabolic Networks

PLoS Comput Biol. 2020 Jun 15;16(6):e1007533. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007533. eCollection 2020 Jun.

Abstract

Metabolism underpins the pathogenic strategy of the causative agent of TB, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), and therefore metabolic pathways have recently re-emerged as attractive drug targets. A powerful approach to study Mtb metabolism as a whole, rather than just individual enzymatic components, is to use a systems biology framework, such as a Genome-Scale Metabolic Network (GSMN) that allows the dynamic interactions of all the components of metabolism to be interrogated together. Several GSMNs networks have been constructed for Mtb and used to study the complex relationship between the Mtb genotype and its phenotype. However, the utility of this approach is hampered by the existence of multiple models, each with varying properties and performances. Here we systematically evaluate eight recently published metabolic models of Mtb-H37Rv to facilitate model choice. The best performing models, sMtb2018 and iEK1011, were refined and improved for use in future studies by the TB research community.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bayes Theorem
  • Biomass
  • Carbon / metabolism
  • Cholesterol / metabolism
  • Culture Media
  • False Positive Reactions
  • Genome, Bacterial*
  • Genotype
  • Glycerol / metabolism
  • Metabolic Networks and Pathways*
  • Models, Biological
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / genetics*
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / metabolism
  • Phenotype
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Software
  • Systems Biology
  • Thermodynamics

Substances

  • Culture Media
  • Carbon
  • Cholesterol
  • Glycerol