On June 17, 2008, PlantCyc made its web debut, containing biochemical pathways from over 250 plant species. The multi-organism database brings together more than 2000 reactions, and includes a total of over 500 pathways.
An important part of the PMN mandate is to encourage interactions and data exchange within the metabolic research community. So, please come meet the PMN staff, give us feedback, and learn about how PMN can help your research at the following conferences in the summer of 2008:
Members of the PMN welcomed collaborators from the University of Calgary (David Liscombe, Jeorg Ziegler, Peter Facchini), the Canadian National Research Council - Plant Biotechnology Institute (Dustin Cram, Jonathan Page (via WebX)), and Cornell University (Anuradha Pujar) to an organizational meeting and curatorial jamboree. The Carnegie Canada cross-border cooperative effort will seek to improve our understanding of the metabolism of two plants with great pharmcalogical value: Papaver somniferum (opium poppy) and Cannabis sativa (marijuana, hemp). The meeting generated a roadmap of immediate and long-term goals for the BIACyc (Benzylisoquinoline alkaloid Cyc) and CannaCyc (Cannabaceae Cyc) projects and included a pathway update party where experts in the field of alkaloid metabolism helped curators to improve existing pathways and suggested new pathways for inclusion in PlantCyc and MetaCyc.
