Fig. 2
Schematic diagrams showing integration of transcriptomic and metabolomic data with the metabolic network model. a The typical life cycle of P. falciparum during the blood stage, also known as the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle (IDC). The cycle begins when a merozoite infects a red blood cell (RBC: circle drawn with a solid black line). Subsequently, the parasite develops and multiplies within the RBC to form rings (R), trophozoites (T), and schizonts (S). Once the parasite completes the cycle, it ruptures the RBC to release 16–32 merozoites [2, 3], which in turn invade another RBC to begin another cycle. The typical life cycle of P. falciparum lasts about 48 h. b Upper panel: representation of gene transcription during the 48-h IDC. There is typically a time delay (denoted by τ) between the transcription of a gene and the translation of an enzyme. In the computational framework of the present study, this delay is reflected in the shift of r(t) relative to the function for gene transcription [denoted by f(g)]. Lower panel: abundance of a metabolite (m) during the 48-h IDC. In the present framework, the relative abundance of a participant metabolite is assumed to modulate the flux through a given metabolic reaction. c A metabolic network model showing integration of metabolic and transcriptomic information. In this panel, r1(t) alters nutrient uptake of the model and affects ‘in silico growth’ r6(t), given other metabolic reactions [r2(t) to r5(t)] and secretion processes in the model