ArtSymbioCyc

ArtSymbioCyc utilizes BioCyc tools to produce high-quality annotations and analyze and compare metabolic networks on a genome-wide scale for arthropods and their associated bacteria, facilitating the study of interdependent metabolic pathways in symbiotic relationships.

Key Features:

• Metabolic network analysis: Analyzes and compares metabolic networks on a genome-wide scale using BioCyc community tools.
• High-quality annotation: Produces high-quality functional annotations of genomic resources for arthropods and their associated bacteria.
• Compound exchange inference: Enables precise inference of compound exchanges between associated symbiotic partners.
• Metabolic pathway interdependence detection: Reveals interdependent and specialized metabolic pathways among host and bacterial associates, including predictions of essential nutritional inputs from host diet.

Scientific Applications:

• Tripartite symbiosis analysis: Facilitates study of multi-partner symbiotic systems such as the cereal aphid Sipha maydis with its two obligate bacterial associates.
• Amino acid metabolism investigation: Supports analysis of amino acid biosynthesis pathways, particularly sulfur-containing amino acids in phloem-feeding insects.
• Vitamin metabolism investigation: Supports analysis of vitamin biosynthesis and interdependence in obligate nutritional symbioses.
• Holobiont metabolic capacity assessment: Reveals individual metabolic capacities of each partner and their respective contributions to the holobiont.
• Host nutritional requirement prediction: Allows prediction of essential inputs that must come from host nutrition based on metabolic network gaps.
• Poaceae phloem exploitation analysis: Enables study of metabolic specialization for exploitation of grass phloem sap diets.

Methodology:

ArtSymbioCyc gathers genomic resources for arthropods and their associated bacteria and applies BioCyc community tools to produce annotations and analyze metabolic networks; the database was applied to analyze the tripartite symbiosis of Sipha maydis focusing on amino acid and vitamin metabolisms.