Genome annotation errors in pathway databases due to semantic ambiguity in partial EC numbers.

ABSTRACT: We report on a new type of systematic annotation error in genome and pathway databases that results from the misinterpretation of partial Enzyme Commission (EC) numbers such as '1.1.1.-'. This error results in the assignment of genes annotated with a partial EC number to many or all biochemical reactions that are annotated with the same partial EC number. That inference is faulty because of the ambiguous nature of partial EC numbers. We have observed this type of error in multiple databases, including KEGG, VIMSS and IMG, all of which assign genes to KEGG pathways. The Escherichia coli subset of the KEGG database exhibits this error for 6.8% of its gene-reaction assignments. For example, KEGG contains 17 reactions that are annotated with EC 1.1.1.-. A group of three E.coli genes, b1580 [pu

SUBMITTER: Green ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1179732 | biostudies-literature | 2005

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature