NMR based studies of metabolic process

Metabonomics, the study of small molecule metabolic profiles, together with proteomic andtranscriptomic information gives a rich picture of the function of living organisms. In order tounderstand the function of the multiple enzymes involved in these systems we need massivequantities of real-time data. This often requires the development of new analysis procedures thatcan model interactions of multiple components. The methodology presented here is based onNuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) observation of real time variation of metabolites, on newspectral analysis methods that can deconvolute the signatures of each molecular species, andnetwork modeling methods that can identify interactions in complex systems. As a modelsystem, the enzyme acetyl-CoA synthetase is selected. The role of this enzyme is to activateacetate to acetyl-coenzyme A (Ac-CoA). The importance of this enzyme is that it provides thecell a two-carbon metabolite which can be used in energy generation processes and functionalmodification of both proteins and carbohydrates.