Comparative metabolic capabilities for Micrococcus luteus NCTC 2665, the "Fleming" strain, and actinobacteria

Putative gene predictions of the Gram positive actinobacteria Micrococcus luteus (NCTC 2665, "Fleming strain") was used to construct a genome scale reconstruction of the metabolic network for this organism. The metabolic network comprises 586 reactions and 551 metabolites, and accounts for 21% of the genes in the genome. The reconstruction was based on the annotated genome and available biochemical information. M. luteus has one of the smallest genomes of actinobacteria with a circular chromosome of 2,501,097 base pairs and a GC content of 73%. The metabolic pathways required for biomass production in silico were determined based on earlier models of actinobacteria. The in silico network is used for metabolic comparison of M. luteus with other actinomycetes, and hence provides useful information for possible future biotechnological exploitation of this organism, e.g., for production of biofuels.