Pathos: A web facility that uses metabolic maps to display experimental changes in metabolites identified by mass spectrometry

  • David P. Leader
    School of Life Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
  • Karl Burgess
    Functional Genomics and Systems Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Joseph Black Building University of Glasgow Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
  • Darren Creek
    Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow Glasgow G12 8TA UK
  • Michael P. Barrett
    Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow Glasgow G12 8TA UK

Abstract

<jats:p>This work describes a freely available web‐based facility which can be used to analyse raw or processed mass spectrometric data from metabolomics experiments and display the metabolites identified – and changes in their experimental abundance – in the context of the metabolic pathways in which they occur. The facility, <jats:italic>Pathos</jats:italic> (<jats:ext-link xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://motif.gla.ac.uk/Pathos/">http://motif.gla.ac.uk/Pathos/</jats:ext-link>), employs Java servlets and is underpinned by a relational database populated from the Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (<jats:italic>KEGG</jats:italic>). Input files can contain either raw <jats:italic>m/z</jats:italic> values from experiments conducted in different modes, or <jats:italic>KEGG</jats:italic> or <jats:italic>MetaCyc</jats:italic> IDs assigned by the user on the basis of the <jats:italic>m/z</jats:italic> values and other criteria. The textual output lists the <jats:italic>KEGG</jats:italic> pathways on an XHTML page according to the number of metabolites or potential metabolites that they contain. Filtering by organism is also available. For metabolic pathways of interest, the user is able to retrieve a pathway map with identified metabolites highlighted. A particular feature of <jats:italic>Pathos</jats:italic> is its ability to process relative quantification data for metabolites identified under different experimental conditions, and to present this in an easily comprehensible manner. Results are colour‐coded according to the degree of experimental change, and bar charts of the results can be generated interactively from either the text listings or the pathway maps. The visual presentation of the output from <jats:italic>Pathos</jats:italic> is designed to allow the rapid identification of metabolic areas of potential interest, after which particular results may be examined in detail. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.</jats:p>

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