Simplifying metabolic complexity.

摘要: A complete description of the regulation metabolism in even a single cell will be very hard to achieve, enormous and indigestible. However, there are two powerful ways simplify complexity. Firstly, related processes intermediates can grouped into small number modules, simplified system studied. Secondly, control analysis used. With these simplifications illuminate important regulatory features, full could made intellectually experimentally accessible without distorting essential features. Modular is because it quantify relative importance different flows information through any metabolic, physiological, signalling or transcriptional network. It answer global questions about pathways mediating change system. has been used analyse how cadmium, poison with multiple effects, changes oxidative phosphorylation isolated mitochondria, energy hepatocytes. measure regulated during mitogen stimulation thymocytes, quantifying each pathway contributes activation metabolism. Recently, we have applied modular modern DNA micro-array expression profiling groups mRNA transcripts physiological responses.