In silico identification and analysis of paralogs encoding enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster.

The identification and characterization of gene paralogs is crucial to understand the functional contribution of individual genes/proteins to biological pathways. Here, we have identified 51 genes belonging to fifteen paralogous groups encoding enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster . Strikingly, most paralogous groups comprise a single 'canonical' enzyme that is expressed ubiquitously and one or more variants expressed predominantly in the testis. Most of these testis-specific forms are predicted to be catalytically inactive, suggesting they may have adopted regulatory roles. This work will aid the planning and interpretation of experimental studies of several Drosophila metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and the pentose phosphate pathway.