Skip to main content

An Evolutionary Systems Biology View on Metabolic System Structure and Dynamics

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Abstract

Cellular metabolism consists of many interconnected reactions that present feedbacks through cyclic reaction motifs and through metabolite regulation of enzyme kinetics. In addition, metabolism is interlinked with gene regulation and other cellular, energy-driven processes such as division and motility. While many important insights have been gained on metabolism in the last decades, we are still far from a complete, predictive understanding of it. This is reflected in our current, limited ability to pinpoint the drivers of metabolic system dynamics and devising ways to engineer it.

In this review paper, we argue that the study of metabolism through the lens of evolutionary biology can provide further insights into its structure and dynamics. By structure, we mean the composing reactions of a metabolic system, and how these reactions are connected with each other through shared metabolites, while by dynamics, we mean the temporal behaviour and responses of the resulting metabolic system. Following an introductory section, we summarise the key findings on the structure and dynamics of cellular metabolism within an evolutionary systems perspective in Sects. 2 and 3. In doing so, we highlight two key ways of thinking about metabolic systems, one based on considering metabolism optimised for biomass production, and another one based on considering metabolism as a self-regulating emergent system for maintaining nonequilibrium metabolic fluxes. From this second consideration, we then expand to discuss the possible biophysical drivers that could have played a key role in shaping metabolic systems in Sect. 4. Finally, in Sect. 5, we call for an evolutionary perspective on metabolism that takes into account both of the above considerations. We conclude by highlighting key areas of future research where this combined view can provide valuable insights.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Marco Polin, Munehiro Asally, and Christian Zerfass for comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Orkun S. Soyer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Johnson, C., Delattre, H., Hayes, C., Soyer, O.S. (2021). An Evolutionary Systems Biology View on Metabolic System Structure and Dynamics. In: Crombach, A. (eds) Evolutionary Systems Biology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71737-7_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71737-7_8

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-71736-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-71737-7

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics