The University of Minnesota Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database: microorganisms, genomics and prediction

The University of Minnesota Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database (http://www.labmed.umn.edu/umbbd/ ) begins its fifth year having met its initial goals. It contains ~100 pathways for microbial catabolic metabolism of primarily xenobiotic organic compounds, including information on ~650 reactions, 600 compounds and 400 enzymes, and containing ~250 microorganism entries. It includes information on most known microbial catabolic reaction types and the organic functional groups they transform. Having reached its first goals, it is ready to move beyond them. It is poised to grow in many different ways, including mirror sites; fold prediction for its sequenced enzymes; closer ties to genome and microbial strain databases; and the prediction of biodegradation pathways for compounds it does not contain.