Flux distribution in metabolic networks close to optimal biomass production

TL;DR

This paper models the flux distribution in metabolic networks near optimal biomass production using the cavity method, revealing a power-law tail in flux distributions consistent with Flux-Balance-Analysis and experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces an analytically tractable statistical model for flux distributions in metabolic networks, linking network structure to flux behavior near optimal biomass production.

Findings

Flux distribution exhibits a fat tail with a power-law exponent.

Model predictions align with Flux-Balance-Analysis results.

Results agree qualitatively with experimental observations.

Abstract

We study a statistical model describing the steady state distribution of the fluxes in a metabolic network. The resulting model on continuous variables can be solved by the cavity method. In particular analytical tractability is possible solving the cavity equation over an ensemble of networks with the same degree distribution of the real metabolic network. The flux distribution that optimizes production of biomass has a fat tail with a power-law exponent independent on the structural properties of the underling network. These results are in complete agreement with the Flux-Balance-Analysis outcome of the same system and in qualitative agreement with the experimental results.