Experimentally Validated Reconstruction and Analysis of a Genome-Scale Metabolic Model of an Anaerobic Neocallimastigomycota Fungus
St. Elmo Wilken, Jonathan M. Monk, Patrick A. Leggieri, Christopher E. Lawson, Thomas S. Lankiewicz, Susanna Seppälä, Chris Daum, Jerry Jenkins, Anna Lipzen, Stephen J. Mondo, Kerrie Barry, Igor V. Grigoriev, John K. Henske, Michael K. Theodorou, Bernhard Ø. Palsson, Linda Petzold, Michelle O’Malley
Abstract
Beyond identifying a trove of lignocellulolytic enzymes, we use this genome to construct the first genome-scale metabolic model of an anaerobic gut fungus. The model is experimentally validated and sheds light on unresolved metabolic features common to gut fungi. Model-guided analysis will pave the way for deepening our understanding of anaerobic gut fungi and provides a systematic framework to guide strain engineering efforts of these organisms for biotechnological use.