Comparative genomics reveals novel biochemical pathways.
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.
Piskur
Jure
J
Department of Cell and Organism Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 22362 Lund, Sweden. Jure.Piskur@cob.lu.se
Schnackerz
Klaus D
KD
Andersen
Gorm
G
Björnberg
Olof
O
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
D009694:Nucleic Acid Precursors; D014498:Uracil