Genome scale metabolic network reconstruction of the pathogen Enterococcus faecalis

Abstract

Since the metabolic network reconstruction of Haemophilus influenzae was published in 1999, many other researchers have followed this trend. The possibilities and potential of having an in silico metabolic network for a specific organism is gaining emphasis among researchers that see the promise that the new era of genome-scale metabolic models could bring to the scientific scene. Enterococcus faecalis is a Gram positive bacterium from the lactic acid group that inhabits commensally the gut of humans and warm-blooded animals. Although it is normally known for its influence in the medical panorama it is also gaining relevance in different fields namely in the food industry and more specifically in the process of ripening and aroma development in certain types of cheese. Nevertheless, it is still more prominent in the medical scenery as the main cause of nosocomial infections in hospital environments and the reason behind multiple diseases, namely urinary tract infections, endocarditis, meningitis, to name a few. In this work the first genome-scale model of Enterococcus faecalis, has been reconstructed to serve as a valuable tool to predict and better understand the phenotypic behaviour and its metabolism.