Syed Asad Rahman - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Syed Asad Rahman
F1000Research, 2011
European Bioinformatics Institute Enzymes play an important role in the molecular machinery of an... more European Bioinformatics Institute Enzymes play an important role in the molecular machinery of an organism. With the advent of high throughput approaches, the need to compare enzyme reactions automatically, both within and between organisms, has become more important. We have developed a robust algorithm and software that allows comparison and classification of reactions based on similarity of the mechanism and the small molecules involved. This software has been applied to ~7000 KEGG enzymatic reactions. Clustering similar mechanisms provides an overview of the different types of mechanisms employed by the enzymes. Our classification exhibits similarities to the IUBMB EC classification schema, although there are differences. These tools provide a broad range of capabilities for comparing enzyme mechanism with applications in the metabolic networks and potential drug targets. Toxicity and drugs mode of action can also be explored within the framework of the enzymatic reaction mechanism.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Jan 16, 2016
Isomerization reactions are fundamental in biology, and isomers usually differ in their biologica... more Isomerization reactions are fundamental in biology, and isomers usually differ in their biological role and pharmacological effects. In this study, we have cataloged the isomerization reactions known to occur in biology using a combination of manual and computational approaches. This method provides a robust basis for comparison and clustering of the reactions into classes. Comparing our results with the Enzyme Commission (EC) classification, the standard approach to represent enzyme function on the basis of the overall chemistry of the catalyzed reaction, expands our understanding of the biochemistry of isomerization. The grouping of reactions involving stereoisomerism is straightforward with two distinct types (racemases/epimerases and cis-trans isomerases), but reactions entailing structural isomerism are diverse and challenging to classify using a hierarchical approach. This study provides an overview of which isomerases occur in nature, how we should describe and classify them,...
Journal of Molecular Biology, 2016
Enzymes, as biological catalysts, form the basis of all forms of life. How these proteins have ev... more Enzymes, as biological catalysts, form the basis of all forms of life. How these proteins have evolved their functions remains a fundamental question in biology. Over 100 years of detailed biochemistry studies, combined with the large volumes of sequence and protein structural data now available, means that we are able to perform large-scale analyses to address this question. Using a range of computational tools and resources, we have compiled information on all experimentally annotated changes in enzyme function within 379 structurally defined protein domain superfamilies, linking the changes observed in functions during evolution to changes in reaction chemistry. Many superfamilies show changes in function at some level, although one function often dominates one superfamily. We use quantitative measures of changes in reaction chemistry to reveal the various types of chemical changes occurring during evolution and to exemplify these by detailed examples. Additionally, we use structural information of the enzymes active site to examine how different superfamilies have changed their catalytic machinery during evolution. Some superfamilies have changed the reactions they perform without changing catalytic machinery. In others, large changes of enzyme function, in terms of both overall chemistry and substrate specificity, have been brought about by significant changes in catalytic machinery. Interestingly, in some superfamilies, relatives perform similar functions but with different catalytic machineries. This analysis highlights characteristics of functional evolution across a wide range of superfamilies, providing insights that will be useful in predicting the function of uncharacterised sequences and the design of new synthetic enzymes.
Biophysical Journal, 2015
Enzymes are the proteins responsible for the catalysis of life. Enzymes sharing a common ancestor... more Enzymes are the proteins responsible for the catalysis of life. Enzymes sharing a common ancestor as defined by sequence and structure similarity are grouped into families and superfamilies. The molecular function of enzymes is defined as their ability to catalyze biochemical reactions; it is manually classified by the Enzyme Commission and robust approaches to quantitatively compare catalytic reactions are just beginning to appear. Here, we present an overview of studies at the interface of the evolution and function of enzymes.
Journal of cheminformatics, Jan 10, 2009
Finding one small molecule (query) in a large target library is a challenging task in computation... more Finding one small molecule (query) in a large target library is a challenging task in computational chemistry. Although several heuristic approaches are available using fragment-based chemical similarity searches, they fail to identify exact atom-bond equivalence between the query and target molecules and thus cannot be applied to complex chemical similarity searches, such as searching a complete or partial metabolic pathway.In this paper we present a new Maximum Common Subgraph (MCS) tool: SMSD (Small Molecule Subgraph Detector) to overcome the issues with current heuristic approaches to small molecule similarity searches. The MCS search implemented in SMSD incorporates chemical knowledge (atom type match with bond sensitive and insensitive information) while searching molecular similarity. We also propose a novel method by which solutions obtained by each MCS run can be ranked using chemical filters such as stereochemistry, bond energy, etc.
Nucleic Acids Research, 2011
FunTree is a new resource that brings together sequence, structure, phylogenetic, chemical and me... more FunTree is a new resource that brings together sequence, structure, phylogenetic, chemical and mechanistic information for structurally defined enzyme superfamilies. Gathering together this range of data into a single resource allows the investigation of how novel enzyme functions have evolved within a structurally defined superfamily as well as providing a means to analyse trends across many superfamilies. This is done not only within the context of an enzyme's sequence and structure but also the relationships of their reactions. Developed in tandem with the CATH database, it currently comprises 276 superfamilies covering 1800 (70%) of sequence assigned enzyme reactions. Central to the resource are phylogenetic trees generated from structurally informed multiple sequence alignments using both domain structural alignments supplemented with domain sequences and whole sequence alignments based on commonality of multi-domain architectures. These trees are decorated with functional annotations such as metabolite similarity as well as annotations from manually curated resources such the catalytic site atlas and MACiE for enzyme mechanisms. The resource is freely available through a web interface: www.ebi.ac.uk/thorton-srv/databases/FunTree.
Journal of Molecular Biology, 2014
Using a novel method to map and cluster chemical reactions, we have reexamined the chemistry of t... more Using a novel method to map and cluster chemical reactions, we have reexamined the chemistry of the ligases [Enzyme Commission (EC) Class 6] and their associated protein families in detail. The type of bond formed by the ligase can be automatically extracted from the equation of the reaction, replicating the EC subclass division. However, this subclass division hides considerable complexities, especially for the C-N forming ligases, which fall into at least three distinct types. The lower levels of the EC classification for ligases are somewhat arbitrary in their definition and add little to understanding their chemistry or evolution. By comparing the multi-domain architecture of the enzymes and using sequence similarity networks, we examined the links between overall reaction and evolution of the ligases. These show that, whilst many enzymes that perform the same overall chemistry group together, both convergent (similar function, different ancestral lineage) and divergent (different function, common ancestor) evolution of function are observed. However, a common theme is that a single conserved domain (often the nucleoside triphosphate binding domain) is combined with ancillary domains that provide the variation in substrate binding and function.
Bioinformatics, 2004
Motivation: Pathway Hunter Tool (PHT), is a fast, robust and user-friendly tool to analyse the sh... more Motivation: Pathway Hunter Tool (PHT), is a fast, robust and user-friendly tool to analyse the shortest paths in metabolic pathways. The user can perform shortest path analysis for one or more organisms or can build virtual organisms (networks) using enzymes. Using PHT, the user can also calculate the average shortest path (Jungnickel, 2002 Graphs, Network and Algorithm. Springer-Verlag, Berlin), average alternate path and the top 10 hubs in the metabolic network. The comparative study of metabolic connectivity and observing the cross talk between metabolic pathways among various sequenced genomes is possible. Results: A new algorithm for finding the biochemically valid connectivity between metabolites in a metabolic network was developed and implemented. A predefined manual assignment of side metabolites (like ATP, ADP, water, CO2 etc.) and main metabolites is not necessary as the new concept uses chemical structure information (global and local similarity) between metabolites for ...
Bioinformatics, 2016
Summary: Extracting chemical features like Atom–Atom Mapping (AAM), Bond Changes (BCs) and Reacti... more Summary: Extracting chemical features like Atom–Atom Mapping (AAM), Bond Changes (BCs) and Reaction Centres from biochemical reactions helps us understand the chemical composition of enzymatic reactions. Reaction Decoder is a robust command line tool, which performs this task with high accuracy. It supports standard chemical input/output exchange formats i.e. RXN/SMILES, computes AAM, highlights BCs and creates images of the mapped reaction. This aids in the analysis of metabolic pathways and the ability to perform comparative studies of chemical reactions based on these features. Availability and implementation: This software is implemented in Java, supported on Windows, Linux and Mac OSX, and freely available at https://github.com/asad/ReactionDecoder Contact: asad@ebi.ac.uk or s9asad@gmail.com
The relationship between enzyme-catalysed reactions and the Enzyme Commission (EC) number, the wi... more The relationship between enzyme-catalysed reactions and the Enzyme Commission (EC) number, the widely accepted classification scheme used to characterise enzyme activity, is complex and with the rapid increase in our knowledge of the reactions catalysed by enzymes needs revisiting. We present a manual and computational analysis to investigate this complexity and found that almost one-third of all known EC numbers are linked to more than one reaction in the secondary reaction databases (e.g. KEGG). Although this complexity is often resolved by defining generic, alternative and partial reactions, we have also found individual EC numbers with more than one reaction catalysing different types of bond changes. This analysis adds a new dimension to our understanding of enzyme function and might be useful for the accurate annotation of the function of enzymes and to study the changes in enzyme function during evolution.
Current Opinion in Structural Biology, 2014
Nucleic Acids Research, 2011
Nucleic Acids Research, 2013
The availability of comprehensive information about enzymes plays an important role in answering ... more The availability of comprehensive information about enzymes plays an important role in answering questions relevant to interdisciplinary fields such as biochemistry, enzymology, biofuels, bioengineering and drug discovery. At the EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute, we have developed an enzyme portal (http://www. ebi. ac. uk/enzymeportal) to provide this wealth of information on enzymes from multiple in-house resources addressing particular data classes: protein sequence and structure, reactions, ...
F1000Research, 2011
European Bioinformatics Institute Enzymes play an important role in the molecular machinery of an... more European Bioinformatics Institute Enzymes play an important role in the molecular machinery of an organism. With the advent of high throughput approaches, the need to compare enzyme reactions automatically, both within and between organisms, has become more important. We have developed a robust algorithm and software that allows comparison and classification of reactions based on similarity of the mechanism and the small molecules involved. This software has been applied to ~7000 KEGG enzymatic reactions. Clustering similar mechanisms provides an overview of the different types of mechanisms employed by the enzymes. Our classification exhibits similarities to the IUBMB EC classification schema, although there are differences. These tools provide a broad range of capabilities for comparing enzyme mechanism with applications in the metabolic networks and potential drug targets. Toxicity and drugs mode of action can also be explored within the framework of the enzymatic reaction mechanism.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Jan 16, 2016
Isomerization reactions are fundamental in biology, and isomers usually differ in their biologica... more Isomerization reactions are fundamental in biology, and isomers usually differ in their biological role and pharmacological effects. In this study, we have cataloged the isomerization reactions known to occur in biology using a combination of manual and computational approaches. This method provides a robust basis for comparison and clustering of the reactions into classes. Comparing our results with the Enzyme Commission (EC) classification, the standard approach to represent enzyme function on the basis of the overall chemistry of the catalyzed reaction, expands our understanding of the biochemistry of isomerization. The grouping of reactions involving stereoisomerism is straightforward with two distinct types (racemases/epimerases and cis-trans isomerases), but reactions entailing structural isomerism are diverse and challenging to classify using a hierarchical approach. This study provides an overview of which isomerases occur in nature, how we should describe and classify them,...
Journal of Molecular Biology, 2016
Enzymes, as biological catalysts, form the basis of all forms of life. How these proteins have ev... more Enzymes, as biological catalysts, form the basis of all forms of life. How these proteins have evolved their functions remains a fundamental question in biology. Over 100 years of detailed biochemistry studies, combined with the large volumes of sequence and protein structural data now available, means that we are able to perform large-scale analyses to address this question. Using a range of computational tools and resources, we have compiled information on all experimentally annotated changes in enzyme function within 379 structurally defined protein domain superfamilies, linking the changes observed in functions during evolution to changes in reaction chemistry. Many superfamilies show changes in function at some level, although one function often dominates one superfamily. We use quantitative measures of changes in reaction chemistry to reveal the various types of chemical changes occurring during evolution and to exemplify these by detailed examples. Additionally, we use structural information of the enzymes active site to examine how different superfamilies have changed their catalytic machinery during evolution. Some superfamilies have changed the reactions they perform without changing catalytic machinery. In others, large changes of enzyme function, in terms of both overall chemistry and substrate specificity, have been brought about by significant changes in catalytic machinery. Interestingly, in some superfamilies, relatives perform similar functions but with different catalytic machineries. This analysis highlights characteristics of functional evolution across a wide range of superfamilies, providing insights that will be useful in predicting the function of uncharacterised sequences and the design of new synthetic enzymes.
Biophysical Journal, 2015
Enzymes are the proteins responsible for the catalysis of life. Enzymes sharing a common ancestor... more Enzymes are the proteins responsible for the catalysis of life. Enzymes sharing a common ancestor as defined by sequence and structure similarity are grouped into families and superfamilies. The molecular function of enzymes is defined as their ability to catalyze biochemical reactions; it is manually classified by the Enzyme Commission and robust approaches to quantitatively compare catalytic reactions are just beginning to appear. Here, we present an overview of studies at the interface of the evolution and function of enzymes.
Journal of cheminformatics, Jan 10, 2009
Finding one small molecule (query) in a large target library is a challenging task in computation... more Finding one small molecule (query) in a large target library is a challenging task in computational chemistry. Although several heuristic approaches are available using fragment-based chemical similarity searches, they fail to identify exact atom-bond equivalence between the query and target molecules and thus cannot be applied to complex chemical similarity searches, such as searching a complete or partial metabolic pathway.In this paper we present a new Maximum Common Subgraph (MCS) tool: SMSD (Small Molecule Subgraph Detector) to overcome the issues with current heuristic approaches to small molecule similarity searches. The MCS search implemented in SMSD incorporates chemical knowledge (atom type match with bond sensitive and insensitive information) while searching molecular similarity. We also propose a novel method by which solutions obtained by each MCS run can be ranked using chemical filters such as stereochemistry, bond energy, etc.
Nucleic Acids Research, 2011
FunTree is a new resource that brings together sequence, structure, phylogenetic, chemical and me... more FunTree is a new resource that brings together sequence, structure, phylogenetic, chemical and mechanistic information for structurally defined enzyme superfamilies. Gathering together this range of data into a single resource allows the investigation of how novel enzyme functions have evolved within a structurally defined superfamily as well as providing a means to analyse trends across many superfamilies. This is done not only within the context of an enzyme's sequence and structure but also the relationships of their reactions. Developed in tandem with the CATH database, it currently comprises 276 superfamilies covering 1800 (70%) of sequence assigned enzyme reactions. Central to the resource are phylogenetic trees generated from structurally informed multiple sequence alignments using both domain structural alignments supplemented with domain sequences and whole sequence alignments based on commonality of multi-domain architectures. These trees are decorated with functional annotations such as metabolite similarity as well as annotations from manually curated resources such the catalytic site atlas and MACiE for enzyme mechanisms. The resource is freely available through a web interface: www.ebi.ac.uk/thorton-srv/databases/FunTree.
Journal of Molecular Biology, 2014
Using a novel method to map and cluster chemical reactions, we have reexamined the chemistry of t... more Using a novel method to map and cluster chemical reactions, we have reexamined the chemistry of the ligases [Enzyme Commission (EC) Class 6] and their associated protein families in detail. The type of bond formed by the ligase can be automatically extracted from the equation of the reaction, replicating the EC subclass division. However, this subclass division hides considerable complexities, especially for the C-N forming ligases, which fall into at least three distinct types. The lower levels of the EC classification for ligases are somewhat arbitrary in their definition and add little to understanding their chemistry or evolution. By comparing the multi-domain architecture of the enzymes and using sequence similarity networks, we examined the links between overall reaction and evolution of the ligases. These show that, whilst many enzymes that perform the same overall chemistry group together, both convergent (similar function, different ancestral lineage) and divergent (different function, common ancestor) evolution of function are observed. However, a common theme is that a single conserved domain (often the nucleoside triphosphate binding domain) is combined with ancillary domains that provide the variation in substrate binding and function.
Bioinformatics, 2004
Motivation: Pathway Hunter Tool (PHT), is a fast, robust and user-friendly tool to analyse the sh... more Motivation: Pathway Hunter Tool (PHT), is a fast, robust and user-friendly tool to analyse the shortest paths in metabolic pathways. The user can perform shortest path analysis for one or more organisms or can build virtual organisms (networks) using enzymes. Using PHT, the user can also calculate the average shortest path (Jungnickel, 2002 Graphs, Network and Algorithm. Springer-Verlag, Berlin), average alternate path and the top 10 hubs in the metabolic network. The comparative study of metabolic connectivity and observing the cross talk between metabolic pathways among various sequenced genomes is possible. Results: A new algorithm for finding the biochemically valid connectivity between metabolites in a metabolic network was developed and implemented. A predefined manual assignment of side metabolites (like ATP, ADP, water, CO2 etc.) and main metabolites is not necessary as the new concept uses chemical structure information (global and local similarity) between metabolites for ...
Bioinformatics, 2016
Summary: Extracting chemical features like Atom–Atom Mapping (AAM), Bond Changes (BCs) and Reacti... more Summary: Extracting chemical features like Atom–Atom Mapping (AAM), Bond Changes (BCs) and Reaction Centres from biochemical reactions helps us understand the chemical composition of enzymatic reactions. Reaction Decoder is a robust command line tool, which performs this task with high accuracy. It supports standard chemical input/output exchange formats i.e. RXN/SMILES, computes AAM, highlights BCs and creates images of the mapped reaction. This aids in the analysis of metabolic pathways and the ability to perform comparative studies of chemical reactions based on these features. Availability and implementation: This software is implemented in Java, supported on Windows, Linux and Mac OSX, and freely available at https://github.com/asad/ReactionDecoder Contact: asad@ebi.ac.uk or s9asad@gmail.com
The relationship between enzyme-catalysed reactions and the Enzyme Commission (EC) number, the wi... more The relationship between enzyme-catalysed reactions and the Enzyme Commission (EC) number, the widely accepted classification scheme used to characterise enzyme activity, is complex and with the rapid increase in our knowledge of the reactions catalysed by enzymes needs revisiting. We present a manual and computational analysis to investigate this complexity and found that almost one-third of all known EC numbers are linked to more than one reaction in the secondary reaction databases (e.g. KEGG). Although this complexity is often resolved by defining generic, alternative and partial reactions, we have also found individual EC numbers with more than one reaction catalysing different types of bond changes. This analysis adds a new dimension to our understanding of enzyme function and might be useful for the accurate annotation of the function of enzymes and to study the changes in enzyme function during evolution.
Current Opinion in Structural Biology, 2014
Nucleic Acids Research, 2011
Nucleic Acids Research, 2013
The availability of comprehensive information about enzymes plays an important role in answering ... more The availability of comprehensive information about enzymes plays an important role in answering questions relevant to interdisciplinary fields such as biochemistry, enzymology, biofuels, bioengineering and drug discovery. At the EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute, we have developed an enzyme portal (http://www. ebi. ac. uk/enzymeportal) to provide this wealth of information on enzymes from multiple in-house resources addressing particular data classes: protein sequence and structure, reactions, ...