Flux visualization using VANTED/FluxMap

Abstract

The calculation of metabolic fl uxes has been shown to be a valuable asset in systems biology. Several procedures are commonly used to achieve this. Flux balance analyses or metabolic fl ux analyses usually result in a list of reaction rates (fl uxes) provided in a spreadsheet format. This makes it diffi cult to quickly assess general characteristics of the solution. A fast and easy mapping of these results to a graphical map template facilitates an easy visual data inspection. Here, we describe a protocol that helps in setting up user-specifi c network templates, mapping fl ux results to it, and creating multiple exportable fl ux maps at one time.