enzymefunction.org

The Enzyme Function Initiative (EFI) is developing a robust sequence / structure based strategy for facilitating discovery of in vitro enzymatic and in vivo metabolic / physiological functions of unknown enzymes discovered in genome projects. More »

Strategy

 

INTEGRATED STRATEGY

Determining the functions of enzymes discovered through genome sequencing is a major challenge in contemporary biology.  The EFI is using a multi-disciplinary superfamily-based approach for functional assignment that will be applicable to enzymes of all classes.  More »
 

 

 

SEQUENCE
Using bioinformatic analyses, superfamily member sequences (colored circles) are clustered into discrete groups and visualized in sequence similarity networks. Clusters are evaluated for unknown functions to aid selection of targets for the EFI pipeline.  More »

 

STRUCTURE

Structures for targeted enzymes are obtained either by x-ray crystallography or homology modeling.  The structures serve as templates for docking of in silico libraries during virtual screening and enable functional predictions to guide activity screening.  More »

 

REACTION

A variety of in vitro biochemical assays are used to test the computational predictions generated for EFI targets.  Results are used to guide further experiments, such co-crystallization with ligands, and to evaluate the computational methods being developed.  More »

 

FUNCTION

A combination of thorough in vitro analysis and in vivo approaches such as genetic, phenotypic, and metabolomic analysis (as available) cumulates in assigned functions for characterized EFI targets.  Annotations are transferred to receptive public databases.  More »

Announcements

 Signup for our e-mail alert!

Collaborations We are currently gauging community interest in working with the EFI. If you would like to propose a project for consideration, please see the Collaborations page. More »
Science Policy Read the submissions in response to the OSTP's Request for Information on President Obama's National Bioeconomy Blueprint. More »

 

Publications

2011 HAD Superfamily Publication
Reprinted with permission from Biochemistry. Copyright 2011 American Chemical Society.

Structures

PDB Deposition 3TJ4 by Vetting et al

New structure for EFI target 502087 from the enolase superfamily. More »

Enzyme Function Initiative | 1206 W. Gregory Drive Urbana, IL 61801  |  efi@enzymefunction.org

NIH

NIGMS