Steady-state 13C fluxomics using openflux

Abstract

Metabolic fl ux estimation using13 C isotopic tracers (13 C-MFA) provides a greater resolution of intracellular fl uxes than using only cell growth and consumption/production rates. However,13 C-MFA is computationally more demanding. A nonlinear least-square optimization process is employed to constrain metabolic fl uxes using atom balance models and experimentally measured13 C labelling pattern of intracellular or proteinogenic metabolites. OpenFLUX was therefore developed for the purpose of streamlining the computational workfl ow. Here, we describe in detail the computational procedure for performing13 C-MFA using OpenFLUX. We also provide some helpful information on model reconstruction and GC-MS data treatment.