Calculation of control coefficients of metabolic pathways. A flux-oriented graph-theoretic approach.

Within the premises of the flux-oriented theory of Crabtree & Newsholme [(1987) Biochem. J. 247, 113-120], I have used a graph-theoretic approach for calculating the Control Coefficients of metabolic pathways. It is shown that a directed graph representing the control structure of a metabolic pathway can be constructed in a heuristic manner directly from the reaction diagram of the pathway, without the necessity of writing down the governing equations for the Control Coefficients. The Control Coefficients are derived from an analysis of the topology of the directed graph. The graph-theoretic approach also provides a visual framework for analysing the functional relationships of the individual enzymes. The control structures of the following pathways are examined here: (a) a simple unbranched pathway with four enzymes, (b) a simple branched pathway with three enzymes, and (c) a branched pathway with both carbon and energy (ATP) fluxes.