Abstract.
The information provided by completely sequenced genomes can yield insights into the multi-level organization of organisms and their evolution. At the lowest level of molecular organization individual enzymes are formed, often through assembly of multiple polypeptides. At a higher level, sets of enzymes group into metabolic networks. Much has been learned about the relationship of species from phylogenetic trees comparing individual enzymes. In this article we extend conventional phylogenetic analysis of individual enzymes in different organisms to the organisms' metabolic networks. For this purpose we suggest a method that combines sequence information with information about the underlying reaction networks. A distance between pathways is defined as incorporating distances between substrates and distances between corresponding enzymes. The new analysis is applied to electron-transfer and amino acid biosynthesis networks yielding a more comprehensive understanding of similarities and differences between organisms.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 14 August 2000 / Accepted: 4 January 2001
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Forst, C., Schulten, K. Phylogenetic Analysis of Metabolic Pathways. J Mol Evol 52, 471–489 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002390010178
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002390010178