KEGGconverter: a tool for the in-silico modelling of metabolic networks of the KEGG Pathways database

BACKGROUND: The KEGG Pathway database is a valuable collection of metabolic pathway maps. Nevertheless, the production of simulation capable metabolic networks from KEGG Pathway data is a challenging complicated work, regardless the already developed tools for this scope. Originally used for illustration purposes, KEGG Pathways through KGML (KEGG Markup Language) files, can provide complete reaction sets and introduce species versioning, which offers advantages for the scope of cellular metabolism simulation modelling. In this project, KEGGconverter is described, implemented also as a web-based application, which uses as source KGML files, in order to construct integrated pathway SBML models fully functional for simulation purposes. RESULTS: A case study of the integration of six human metabolic pathways from KEGG depicts the ability of KEGGconverter to automatically produce merged and converted to SBML fully functional pathway models, enhanced with default kinetics. The suitability of the developed tool is demonstrated through a comparison with other state-of-the art relevant software tools for the same data fusion and conversion tasks, thus illustrating the problems and the relevant workflows. Moreover, KEGGconverter permits the inclusion of additional reactions in the resulting model which represent flux cross-talk with neighbouring pathways, providing in this way improved simulative accuracy. These additional reactions are introduced by exploiting relevant semantic information for the elements of the KEGG Pathways database. The architecture and functionalities of the web-based application are presented. CONCLUSION: KEGGconverter is capable of producing integrated analogues of metabolic pathways appropriate for simulation tasks, by inputting only KGML files. The web application acts as a user friendly shell which transparently enables the automated biochemically correct pathway merging, conversion to SBML format, proper renaming of the species, and insertion of default kinetic properties for the pertaining reactions. The tool is available at: