secondary metabolic process

Term ID

GO:0019748

Synonyms

• secondary metabolism
• secondary metabolite metabolic process
• secondary metabolite metabolism

Definition

The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in many of the chemical changes of compounds that are not necessarily required for growth and maintenance of cells, and are often unique to a taxon. In multicellular organisms secondary metabolism is generally carried out in specific cell types, and may be useful for the organism as a whole. In unicellular organisms, secondary metabolism is often used for the production of antibiotics or for the utilization and acquisition of unusual nutrients.

References

• Wikipedia:Secondary_metabolism

Ontology

GO: Biological Process    QuickGO    AmiGO