NATURE REVIEWS - MICROBIOLOGY

In situ to in silico and back: elucidating  the physiology and ecology of Geobacter spp. using genome-scale modelling.

Radhakrishnan Mahadevan, Bernhard Ø. Palsson and Derek R. Lovley

There is a wide diversity of unexploredmetabolismencoded in the genomes of  microorganisms that have an important environmentalrole.Genome-scalemetabolic  modelling enablesthe individualreactionsthat are encoded in annotated genomesto be organized into a coherent whole, which can then be used to predictmetabolic fluxesthat will  optimize cell function under a range of conditions. In this Review, we summarize a series of studiesin which genome-scalemetabolicmodelling ofGeobacterspp. hasresulted in an in-depth understanding oftheir centralmetabolismand ecology.Asimilariterative modelling and experimental approach could accelerate elucidation ofthe physiology and ecology of othermicroorganismsinhabiting a diversity of environments, and could guide optimization ofthe practical applications ofthese species.
Acceso a review: http://www.geobacter.org/publication-files/Nature%20Reviews%20Microbiology%202011.pdf