Natural products play pivotal roles in plant development and adaptation to environmental cues, and for human applications such as biopolymers and pharmaceuticals. Most biosynthetic routes synthetising these products remain largely obscure, but genome projects revealed large gene families that may be involved in these pathways. The largest is the cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily of monooxygenases. Here, we implement a new strategy for the identification of the biochemical functions of this family: public microarray data were statistically analysed to identify known and putative metabolic genes co-expressed with each CYP across thousands of biological samples. Biochemical pathway annotation databases were curated for all co-expressed genes and used to place each P450s into putative biochemical pathways.

Expression Data Used

under construction

Annotation Databases Used

AcylLipid: The Arabidopsis Lipid Gene Database contains 620 Arabidopsis genes known or suspected to be involved in almost all acyl lipid metabolism and includes annotation evidences. Data were downloaded 21. October 2005

Reference: F. Beisson, A.J. Koo, S. Ruuska, J. Schwender, M. Pollard, J.J. Thelen, T. Paddock , J.J. Salas, L. Savage, A. Milcamps, V.B. Mhaske, Y. Cho, J.B. Ohlrogge (2003) Arabidopsis genes involved in acyl lipid metabolism. A 2003 census of the candidates, a study of the distribution of expressed sequence tags in organs, and a web-based database. Plant Physiol. 132(2):681-97 (PubMed)

BioPathAt: A curator annotated database covering 401 Arabidopsis genes (v1, October 2004 was used, downloaded 11. October 2005) that were placed into nine major pathways (Leaf Glycerolipid Biosynthesis, Chloroplast (protein import, folding, maturation; transcription/translation), Photosystems, Plastidial Isoprenoids (Chlorophylls, Carotenoids, Tocopherols, Plastoquinone, Phylloquinone), Intermediary Carbon Metabolism, Cell Wall Carbohydrates, Phenylpropanoid Metabolism, Biosynthesis of Amino Acids and Derivatives, Isoprenoid Biosynthesis in the Cytosol and in Mitochondria (Sterols, Brassinosteroids, Polyterpenes, Ubiquinone), and Gluconeogenesis from lipids in seeds).

Reference: B. M. Lange and M. Ghassemian (2005) Comprehensive post-genomic data analysis approaches integrating biochemical pathway maps. Phytochem. 66(4): 413-451 (PubMed)

Annotation Score

under construction

Co-Expression Analysis

Annotation Score

Pathway Mapping

Annotation Score