Whither metabolic flux analysis in plants?

Stable isotope labelling experiments provide many opportunities for probing metabolic pathways. One goal of such experiments is to define the metabolic phenotype of an organism in terms of the fluxes supported by the entire metabolic network. Metabolic flux analysis (MFA) is used routinely in prokaryotes, but its application to plants is more challenging. Here we examine the status of MFA in plants, highlighting difficulties that hinder wider exploitation of the technique. We conclude that simulation of network fluxes using constraints-based modelling offers a more versatile approach for exploring the capabilities of a network, and that MFA might be best used to probe the interesting features that simulation reveals.

Automated summary

Stable isotope labeling experiments provide opportunities for probing metabolic pathways, and metabolic flux analysis (MFA) is commonly used in prokaryotes but more challenging in plants. Constrains-based modeling for simulating network fluxes offers a versatile approach for exploring network capabilities, while MFA can be best utilized to probe interesting features revealed by simulation.