title: Computing knock-out strategies in metabolic networks.
abstract: Given a metabolic network in terms of its metabolites and reactions, our goal is to efficiently compute the minimal knock-out sets of reactions required to block a given behavior. We describe an algorithm that improves the computation of these knock-out sets when the elementary modes (minimal functional subsystems) of the network are given. We also describe an algorithm that computes both the knock-out sets and the elementary modes containing the blocked reactions directly from the description of the network and whose worst-case computational complexity is better than the algorithms currently in use for these problems. Computational results are included.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Mathematische Optimierung, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität, Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Utz-Uwe
authors.initials: UU
authors.lastname: Haus
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klamt
authors.forename: Tamon
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stephen
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods*; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways