The Metabolic Genomics Group (CNRS-Genoscope-Université d'Evry; UMR 8030) is the basic research structure of Genoscope, the French National Sequencing Centre. Historically, the principal theme of the unit was closely linked to the sequencing activity of Genoscope. This was mainly concentrated on the sequencing of large genomes or segments of large genomes performed at Genoscope, but also on the analysis the genomes of prokaryotes. Today the UMR and Genoscope are continuing these analyses and developing informatics tools for this objective. The annotation of the sequences of prokaryotic genomes and those of eukaryotes remains one of the principal activities of the UMR. Analyses are currently being performed mainly in the form of collaborations with the academic groups which proposed the sequencing projects, which are of various types (genomes, genomic regions, cDNAs, ESTs, etc.).

The Metabolic Genomics UMR has undertaken the task of extending the sequence annotations in silico using experimental approaches, in particular in the domain of metabolic enzymes.

The Metabolic Genomics UMR consists of 5 teams: two of them (the Cloaca maxima and Metabolic Thesaurus projects) have essentially biologic purposes, and the three others (The Comparative Genomics Atelier, analyses of sequences of eukaryotic genomes and the Computational Systems Biology group) are involved in various aspects of bioinformatics (sequence analysis, evolution of genomes, metabolic modeling).

The project Cloaca maxima consists in intensifying the inventory of prokaryotic genes encoding metabolic enzymes. The great majority of non-cultivable prokaryotes can be explored using a metagenomic approach which is dependent on sequencing. We are especially interested in the prokaryotic flora of the different stages in water purification. This project aims to obtain a better understanding of the metabolic pathways and the enzymes involved in water treatment.

A project, Metabolic Thesaurus, involves the systematic exploration of the metabolic functions of Acinetobacter ADP1, a species which presents particular advantages in terms of analysis. A collection of mutants in which each gene is replaced and inactivated by a selection marker has been constituted.

The Computational Systems Biology group develops and applies methods to reconstruct global metabolic models from experimental data (e.g. those from the Metabolic Thesaurus project), and to analyze the metabolic capabilities of these models. These methods are applied in particular to Acinetobacter baylyi, but also to E.coli and S.cerevisiae.

The UMR 8030 is a somewhat atypical structure which comprises a relatively modest number of permanent researchers (3 engaged in teaching and research and 7 statutory scientists) and which depends on the technologic infrastructure provided by Genoscope for both biological purposes and for informatics treatment of the data.