Annotating the Plasmodium genome and the enigma of the shikimate pathway

The completion of the Plasmodium falciparum genome sequence heralds a new era in the effort to identify all the parasite's genes along with their cellular functions. A combination of bioinformatics and experimental proof will facilitate this process. Many enzymes in metabolic processes have been identified, but several examples exist of incomplete pathways, such as the shikimate pathway. This review uses the example of the shikimate pathway to examine the application of bioinformatics to lead experimental design in post-genomic biology.