(590g) Genome Scale Analysis and Dynamic Study of Methanogen, Methanosarcina Barkeri

M. barkeri is a methanogen, meaning that methane is the reduced product for energy generation.  M. barkeri can grow on several substrates including methanol, acetate, methyl amines and a combination of hydrogen and carbon dioxide.  The Methanosarcina barkeri genome was published in 2006 after the metabolic reconstruction of M. barkeri, iAF692, was published.  The iAF692 reconstruction preformed the first large scale simulations of an Archaea. Since the publication of iAF692, our deeper understanding of Archaea biology has shed light on previously unclear metabolic pathways.  Reactions in methanogenesis, cofactor biosynthesis, pentose phosphate pathway and others have been updated to reflect Archaea biosynthesis pathways.  This improved insight has led to an increase in predictive accuracy for knockouts, dynamic simulations and growth yield predictions for the updated M. barkeri reconstruction, iMG746. As with other metabolic reconstructions, iMG746 will be a useful tool in guiding experimental studies and predicting cellular behavior on a genome scale.