Enzyme activities predicted by metabolite concentrations and solvent capacity in the cell

Metabolic Control

New report on novel method to predict and identify enzymes that regulate metabolic networks.

 

Approach

Use reformulated mass action kinetics to calculate metabolite levels and rate constants for biochemical reactions.
Combine statistical thermodynamics, control theory and machine learning  to predict enzyme activity and reveal regulation points.
Enables a physics-based approach to modeling the energetics and dynamics of the cell.
 

Significance

Elucidates natural design principles of metabolism.
Currently no other experimental or computational approach has been shown to rapidly identify points of metabolic regulation.
Learning how cells regulate and control themselves is essential for medicine, synthetic biology, and fundamental science.
Journal publication information
  1. Britton, S., Alber, M, and Cannon, W. R., Enzyme Activities Predicted by Metabolite Concentrations and Solvent Capacity in the Cell, Journal of The Royal Society Interface (2020), 17(171): 20200656, doi: https:// doi:10.1098/rsif.2020.0656