title: Comparative genomics reveals novel biochemical pathways.
abstract: How well do we understand which enzymes are involved in the primary metabolism of the cell? A recent study using comparative genomics and postgenomics approaches revealed a novel pathway in the most studied organism, Escherichia coli. The analysis of a new operon consisting of seven previously uncharacterized genes thought to be involved in the degradation of nucleic acid precursors shows the impact of comparative genomics on the discovery of novel pathways and enzymes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Organism Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 22362 Lund, Sweden. Jure.Piskur@cob.lu.se
authors.forename: Jure
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piskur
authors.forename: Klaus D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Schnackerz
authors.forename: Gorm
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Olof
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Björnberg
mesh_terms: D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D023281:Genomics; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D008954:Models, Biological; D009694:Nucleic Acid Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009876:Operon; D014498:Uracil / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009694:Nucleic Acid Precursors; D014498:Uracil