Genome-scale metabolic network models can be used for various analyses including the prediction of metabolic responses to changes in the environment. Legumes are well known for their rhizobial symbiosis that introduces nitrogen into the global nutrient cycle. Here, we describe a fully compartmentalised, mass and charge-balanced, genome-scale model of the clover Medicago truncatula, which has been adopted as a model organism for legumes. We employed fux balance analysis to demonstrate that the network is capable of producing biomass components in experimentally observed proportions, during day and night. By connecting the plant model to a model of its rhizobial symbiont, Sinorhizobium meliloti, we were able to investigate the efects of the symbiosis on metabolic fuxes and plant growth and could demonstrate how oxygen availability infuences metabolic exchanges between plant and symbiont, thus elucidating potential benefts of inter organism amino acid cycling. We thus provide a modelling framework, in which the interlinked metabolism of plants and nodules can be studied from a theoretical perspective.
Pfau, ThomasChristian, NilsMasakapalli, Shyam K.Sweetlove, Lee J.Poolman, Mark G.Ebenhöh, Oliver
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences\Department of Biological and Medical Sciences
Year of publication: 2018Date of RADAR deposit: 2018-09-06