{"doi":"10.3390/metabo14090510","title":"Predicting the Association of Metabolites with Both Pathway Categories and Individual Pathways","abstract":"Metabolism is a network of chemical reactions that sustain cellular life. Parts of this metabolic network are defined as metabolic pathways containing specific biochemical reactions. Products and reactants of these reactions are called metabolites, which are associated with certain human-defined metabolic pathways. Metabolic knowledgebases, such as the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes (KEGG) contain metabolites, reactions, and pathway annotations; however, such resources are incomplete due to current limits of metabolic knowledge. To fill in missing metabolite pathway annotations, past machine learning models showed some success at predicting the KEGG Level 2 pathway category involvement of metabolites based on their chemical structure. Here, we present the first machine learning model to predict metabolite association to more granular KEGG Level 3 metabolic pathways. We used a feature and dataset engineering approach to generate over one million metabolite-pathway entries in the dataset used to train a single binary classifier. This approach produced a mean Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.806 ± 0.017 SD across 100 cross-validation iterations. The 172 Level 3 pathways were predicted with an overall MCC of 0.726. Moreover, metabolite association with the 12 Level 2 pathway categories was predicted with an overall MCC of 0.891, representing significant transfer learning from the Level 3 pathway entries. These are the best metabolite pathway prediction results published so far in the field.","journal":"Metabolites","year":2024,"id":454938,"datarank":0.31191623125197543,"base_score":2.0794415416798357,"endowment":2.0794415416798357,"self_citation_contribution":0.31191623125197543,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.31191623125197543,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":46.1,"corpus_rank":6947,"citation_count":7,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":true,"is_dataset_confidence":0.6929,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2024-01-01","fair_score":68.75,"fair_percentile":91.13420972179762,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":408929,"name":"Hunter Moseley","orcid":"0000-0003-3995-5368","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":757011,"name":"Erik D. Huckvale","orcid":"0000-0002-6994-8831","position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":25,"raw_metadata":{"citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-07-19T02:03:12.720997Z","pmid":"39330517","pmcid":"PMC11433779","fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":94.4444,"fair_a":62.5,"fair_i":0.0,"fair_r":37.5,"fair_zscore":1.3577,"fair_rationale":{"fair_score":68.75,"has_llm":true,"taxonomy_version":"fair_taxonomy_v5","dimensions":{"F":{"name":"Findable","score":94.44,"criteria":[{"key":"f_dataset_pid","label":"Persistent identifier for the data","kind":"llm","weight":2.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26505907","grounded":true,"rationale":"The paper provides a DOI (10.6084/m9.figshare.26505907) for the data, which is a persistent identifier.","anchors":["RDA-F1-01D — FAIR Data Maturity Model: 'Data is identified by a persistent identifier' (priorit","RDA-F1-02D — FAIR Data Maturity Model: 'Data is identified by a globally unique identifier'","FsF-F1-02D — F-UJI/FAIRsFAIR: 'Data is assigned a persistent identifier'"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"f_repository_named","label":"Named repository","kind":"llm","weight":2.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"All code and data for reproducing these analyses can be accessed via the following Figshare item: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26505907 (accessed on 1 June 2024).","grounded":true,"rationale":"Figshare is a recognized data repository listed in re3data/FAIRsharing.","anchors":["RDA-F4-01M — FAIR Data Maturity Model: metadata is offered so it can be harvested and indexed (","NIH DMS Policy Element 4 (NOT-OD-21-014) — name the repository where data will be archived","NSTC Desirable Characteristics of Data Repositories (2022) — 'Long-Term Sustainability', 'Reten"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"f_data_availability_statement","label":"Data-availability statement","kind":"llm","weight":2.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"All code and data for reproducing these analyses can be accessed via the following Figshare item: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26505907 (accessed on 1 June 2024).","grounded":true,"rationale":"The statement points to a repository record (Figshare) with a DOI, fulfilling Colavizza category 3.","anchors":["Colavizza, Hrynaszkiewicz, Staden, Whitaker & McGillivray (2020), 'The citation advantage of li","Springer Nature research data policy — Data Availability Statements: standard statement templat","RDA-F3-01M — metadata clearly and explicitly includes the identifier of the data it describes"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"f_discovery_metadata","label":"Description of the dataset as an object","kind":"llm","weight":2.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"Table 1 Description of cross-joined metabolite-pathway paired datasets used for model training and testing.","grounded":true,"rationale":"Table 1 is an itemized inventory listing the number of features, metabolites, pathways, and entries for each dataset. [majority verdict 'yes' (3/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["RDA-F2-01M — 'Rich metadata is provided to allow discovery' (priority Essential)","FsF-F2-01M — F-UJI: 'Metadata includes descriptive core elements to support data findability'","FsF-R1-01MD — F-UJI: 'Metadata specifies the content of the data'"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"f_dataset_cited","label":"Dataset formally cited","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":0.5,"verdict":"partial","evidence":"All code and data for reproducing these analyses can be accessed via the following Figshare item: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26505907 (accessed on 1 June 2024).","grounded":true,"rationale":"The dataset identifier appears only in the body text (Data Availability Statement), not as a reference-list entry.","anchors":["FORCE11 Joint Declaration of Data Citation Principles (2014) — data should be cited as a first-","RDA-F3-01M — metadata clearly and explicitly includes the identifier of the data it describes","FsF-F3-01M — F-UJI: 'Metadata includes the identifier of the data it describes'"],"scored":true,"signal":null}]},"A":{"name":"Accessible","score":62.5,"criteria":[{"key":"a_data_openly_accessible","label":"Access route free of preconditions","kind":"llm","weight":2.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"All code and data for reproducing these analyses can be accessed via the following Figshare item: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26505907 (accessed on 1 June 2024).","grounded":true,"rationale":"The data are deposited in a public repository (Figshare) with no stated precondition such as embargo, registration, or request.","anchors":["RDA-A1.1-01D — 'Data is accessible through a free access protocol'","FsF-A1-01M — F-UJI: 'Metadata contains access level and access conditions of the data'","NSTC Desirable Characteristics of Data Repositories (2022) — 'Free and Easy Access'"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"a_access_conditions_stated","label":"Access level labelled","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":0.5,"verdict":"partial","evidence":"All code and data for reproducing these analyses can be accessed via the following Figshare item: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26505907 (accessed on 1 June 2024).","grounded":true,"rationale":"The paper describes an action ('can be accessed') but does not apply an explicit access-level label such as 'open access' or 'freely available'.","anchors":["FsF-A1-01M — F-UJI: 'Metadata contains access level and access conditions of the data'","RDA-A1-01M — metadata contains information to enable the user to get access to the data","COAR Controlled Vocabularies — Access Rights v1.0 (open / embargoed / restricted / metadata-onl"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"a_controlled_access_for_sensitive","label":"Gatekeeper for sensitive data","kind":"llm","weight":0.5,"fraction":0.0,"verdict":"no","evidence":"Informed Consent Statement Not applicable.","grounded":true,"rationale":"The paper involves no human subjects or sensitive data, so no gatekeeper is named; the condition for the criterion is not met.","anchors":["NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy (NOT-OD-14-124) — controlled-access via a Data Access Committee","RDA-A1.2-01D — 'Data is accessible through an access protocol that supports authentication and ","NIH DMS Policy Element 5 (NOT-OD-21-014) — Access, Distribution, or Reuse Considerations (conse"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"a_timeline_retention","label":"Availability timing & retention","kind":"llm","weight":0.5,"fraction":0.0,"verdict":"no","evidence":null,"grounded":false,"rationale":"No sentence states how long the data will remain available; only an access date is provided. [majority verdict 'no' (4/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["NIH DMS Plan Element 4 (NOT-OD-21-014) — Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines","NSTC Desirable Characteristics (2022), Organizational Infrastructure: 'Retention Policy'","RDA-A2-01M — 'Metadata is guaranteed to remain available after data is no longer available'"],"scored":false,"signal":null}]},"I":{"name":"Interoperable","score":0.0,"criteria":[{"key":"i_open_nonproprietary_format","label":"Open file format","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":0.0,"verdict":"no","evidence":null,"grounded":false,"rationale":"No file format is named for the released data. [majority verdict 'no' (4/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["FsF-R1.3-02D — F-UJI: 'Data is available in a file format recommended by the target research co","RDA-R1.3-02D — data is expressed in a machine-understandable community standard","RDA-I1-01D — data uses a knowledge representation expressed in a standardised format"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"i_community_standard_vocabulary","label":"Community standard / vocabulary","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":0.0,"verdict":"no","evidence":null,"grounded":false,"rationale":"No community data or metadata standard (e.g., MIAME, ISA-Tab, an ontology) is named for the released data. [majority verdict 'no' (4/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["RDA-R1.3-01M — 'Metadata complies with a community standard' (priority Essential)","RDA-R1.3-01D — 'Data complies with a community standard'","RDA-I2-01M — '(Meta)data use vocabularies that follow FAIR principles'"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"i_qualified_references","label":"Identifiers for the resources the data depend on","kind":"llm","weight":0.5,"fraction":0.0,"verdict":"no","evidence":null,"grounded":false,"rationale":"No identifier for an external resource (e.g., reference database, genome build, or third-party dataset) is provided. [majority verdict 'no' (3/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["RDA-I3-01M — '(meta)data include references to other (meta)data'","RDA-I3-03M — 'metadata includes qualified references to other metadata'","FsF-I3-01M — F-UJI: 'Metadata includes links between the data and its related entities'"],"scored":false,"signal":null}]},"R":{"name":"Reusable","score":37.5,"criteria":[{"key":"r_reuse_license","label":"Reuse licence","kind":"llm","weight":2.0,"fraction":0.0,"verdict":"no","evidence":null,"grounded":false,"rationale":"No license is named for the data; the article's CC BY license applies to the article, not the data.","anchors":["RDA-R1.1-01M — 'Metadata includes information about the licence under which the data can be reu","RDA-R1.1-02M — 'Metadata refers to a standard reuse licence'","RDA-R1.1-03M — 'Metadata refers to a machine-understandable reuse licence'"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"r_provenance_methods","label":"Provenance of the data","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":0.5,"verdict":"partial","evidence":"Data processing and storage were done using the Pandas version 1.0.3 [23], NumPy version 1.26.4 [24], and H5Py version 3.9.0 [25] packages.","grounded":false,"rationale":"The paper names specific software packages with version tokens used to produce the data. [downgraded to 'partial' — no verifiable quote from the paper] [majority verdict 'partial' (3/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["RDA-R1.2-01M — 'Metadata includes provenance information according to community- specific standa","FsF-R1.2-01M — F-UJI: 'Metadata includes provenance information about data creation or generati","W3C PROV-O (W3C Recommendation, 2013) — the entity/activity/agent model of provenance"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"r_documentation_codebook","label":"Documentation / codebook","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":0.0,"verdict":"no","evidence":null,"grounded":false,"rationale":"No documentation object (README, data dictionary, codebook) is stated to accompany the data, and no variable-definition table exists inside the article. [majority verdict 'no' (3/5 passes agreed)]","anchors":["RDA-R1-01M — '(Meta)data are richly described with a plurality of accurate and relevant attribu","FsF-R1-01MD — F-UJI: 'Metadata specifies the content of the data'","NIH DMS Policy Element 3 (NOT-OD-21-014) — Standards (documentation and metadata to accompany t"],"scored":false,"signal":null},{"key":"r_versioning","label":"Snapshot identified","kind":"llm","weight":0.5,"fraction":0.5,"verdict":"partial","evidence":"(accessed on 1 June 2024)","grounded":true,"rationale":"A date is provided for the snapshot, but no version token is stated.","anchors":["DataCite Metadata Schema 4.6 — the 'Version' property","RDA-R1.2-01M — provenance information (which version was used is provenance)","NSTC Desirable Characteristics of Data Repositories (2022) — 'Provenance', 'Retention Policy'"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"x_code_availability","label":"Analysis code available","kind":"llm","weight":1.0,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26505907","grounded":true,"rationale":"The code is deposited with the data on Figshare with a machine-resolvable DOI, fulfilling a versioned locator.","anchors":["NIH DMS Policy Element 2 (NOT-OD-21-014) — 'Related Tools, Software and/or Code'","FAIR4RS Principles v1.0 (Chue Hong et al., 2022; RDA/FORCE11/ReSA) — FAIR Principles for Resear","FORCE11 Software Citation Principles (Smith, Katz & Niemeyer, 2016, PeerJ CS 2:e86)"],"scored":true,"signal":null},{"key":"x_funding_attribution","label":"Funder and award number","kind":"llm","weight":0.5,"fraction":1.0,"verdict":"yes","evidence":"This research was funded by the National Science Foundation, grant number 2020026 (PI Moseley), and by the National Institutes of Health, grant number P42 ES007380 (University of Kentucky Superfund Research Program Grant; PI Pennell).","grounded":true,"rationale":"Both grant numbers are provided for the named funders.","anchors":["DataCite Metadata Schema 4.6 — 'FundingReference' property (funderName, funderIdentifier, award","Crossref Funder Registry — canonical funder identifiers for funding metadata","RDA-F2-01M — rich metadata provided to allow discovery (funding is part of the descriptive reco"],"scored":true,"signal":null}]}},"actions":[{"key":"r_reuse_license","dimension":"R","label":"Reuse licence","action":"Attach a standard, machine-readable open licence to the deposit — CC0 or CC BY, which is what Horizon Europe and most funders expect — and print the licence identifier in the paper. 'Free to use' is not a licence: it grants nothing a reuser's institution can rely on.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"no","current":0.0,"evidence":null,"why":"No license is named for the data; the article's CC BY license applies to the article, not the data.","gain":16.67,"priority":"essential","scored":true},{"key":"i_open_nonproprietary_format","dimension":"I","label":"Open file format","action":"Release the data in an open, community-standard format (CSV/TSV, JSON, HDF5, NetCDF, FASTQ, VCF, NIfTI…) instead of — or alongside — any proprietary or instrument-native format, and name the format in the paper. A dataset that needs a €2,000 licence to open is not reusable. Prefer open metabolomics formats such as mzML or nmrML.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"no","current":0.0,"evidence":null,"why":"No file format is named for the released data. [majority verdict 'no' (4/5 passes agreed)]","gain":8.33,"priority":"important","scored":true},{"key":"f_dataset_cited","dimension":"F","label":"Dataset formally cited","action":"Cite the dataset in the reference list like a publication — creator, year, title, repository, DOI/accession — and cite it in-text where it is used. Only a reference- list entry is machine-readable to Crossref/DataCite, and only a citation lets the data earn credit. Cite the metabolomics repository accession (e.g. from MetaboLights (MTBLS accession) or Metabolomics Workbench) in the reference list.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"partial","current":0.5,"evidence":"All code and data for reproducing these analyses can be accessed via the following Figshare item: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26505907 (accessed on 1 June 2024).","why":"The dataset identifier appears only in the body text (Data Availability Statement), not as a reference-list entry.","gain":4.17,"priority":"important","scored":true},{"key":"r_versioning","dimension":"R","label":"Snapshot identified","action":"Version the deposit and cite the exact version analysed (a version-specific DOI, or an accession with its version suffix). A reader reproducing your work against 'the current release' is reproducing it against a different dataset.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"partial","current":0.5,"evidence":"(accessed on 1 June 2024)","why":"A date is provided for the snapshot, but no version token is stated.","gain":2.08,"priority":"useful","scored":true},{"key":"a_access_conditions_stated","dimension":"A","label":"Access level labelled","action":"State the access level in words, using the standard vocabulary: 'These data are open access' / 'These data are controlled access'. A reader — and a harvester — should not have to infer the access level from the presence of a download link.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"partial","current":0.5,"evidence":"All code and data for reproducing these analyses can be accessed via the following Figshare item: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26505907 (accessed on 1 June 2024).","why":"The paper describes an action ('can be accessed') but does not apply an explicit access-level label such as 'open access' or 'freely available'.","gain":0.0,"priority":"important","scored":false},{"key":"i_community_standard_vocabulary","dimension":"I","label":"Community standard / vocabulary","action":"Adopt and NAME your domain's data standard — the minimum-information checklist, metadata schema, or ontology your community uses (MIAME/MINSEQE, ISA-Tab, BIDS, an OBO ontology, HL7 FHIR/OMOP) — and say which one you followed. A reporting checklist standardises your paper; it does nothing for your data. In metabolomics, describe the data with ISA-Tab or Metabolomics Standards Initiative (MSI).","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"no","current":0.0,"evidence":null,"why":"No community data or metadata standard (e.g., MIAME, ISA-Tab, an ontology) is named for the released data. [majority verdict 'no' (4/5 passes agreed)]","gain":0.0,"priority":"important","scored":false},{"key":"r_provenance_methods","dimension":"R","label":"Provenance of the data","action":"Name the instruments, kits, and software — with versions — that produced the data, not just the verbs. 'Reads were aligned' is not provenance; 'aligned with STAR v2.7.9a to GRCh38' is, because someone else can rerun it.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"partial","current":0.5,"evidence":"Data processing and storage were done using the Pandas version 1.0.3 [23], NumPy version 1.26.4 [24], and H5Py version 3.9.0 [25] packages.","why":"The paper names specific software packages with version tokens used to produce the data. [downgraded to 'partial' — no verifiable quote from the paper] [majority verdict 'partial' (3/5 passes agreed)]","gain":0.0,"priority":"important","scored":false},{"key":"r_documentation_codebook","dimension":"R","label":"Documentation / codebook","action":"Ship a README and a data dictionary IN the deposit — every file, every variable, its units, its allowed values, its missing-value codes. It is the cheapest single thing that makes a dataset usable by someone who was not in the lab, and a table buried in the article does not travel with the data.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"no","current":0.0,"evidence":null,"why":"No documentation object (README, data dictionary, codebook) is stated to accompany the data, and no variable-definition table exists inside the article. [majority verdict 'no' (3/5 passes agreed)]","gain":0.0,"priority":"important","scored":false},{"key":"a_controlled_access_for_sensitive","dimension":"A","label":"Gatekeeper for sensitive data","action":"Route sensitive data through an institutional gatekeeper — deposit in a controlled- access repository (dbGaP, EGA) with a Data Access Committee and a published DUA — rather than through the corresponding author's inbox. An author-gated dataset dies with the author's email address, and 'on reasonable request' has been shown repeatedly not to yield data.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"no","current":0.0,"evidence":"Informed Consent Statement Not applicable.","why":"The paper involves no human subjects or sensitive data, so no gatekeeper is named; the condition for the criterion is not met.","gain":0.0,"priority":"useful","scored":false},{"key":"i_qualified_references","dimension":"I","label":"Identifiers for the resources the data depend on","action":"Cite by identifier every resource the data depend on — the source datasets' accessions, the reference build (GRCh38 / GCA_000001405.28), the cohort application number, the code DOI — and register those relations on the dataset record (IsDerivedFrom, IsSupplementTo). A name is not a link: it cannot be resolved, versioned, or followed by a machine.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"no","current":0.0,"evidence":null,"why":"No identifier for an external resource (e.g., reference database, genome build, or third-party dataset) is provided. [majority verdict 'no' (3/5 passes agreed)]","gain":0.0,"priority":"useful","scored":false},{"key":"a_timeline_retention","dimension":"A","label":"Availability timing & retention","action":"State when the data become available AND how long they will be retained — cite the repository's preservation policy. NIH DMS Element 4 asks for both; most papers give neither.","anchors":["yes","partial","no"],"verdict":"no","current":0.0,"evidence":null,"why":"No sentence states how long the data will remain available; only an access date is provided. [majority verdict 'no' (4/5 passes agreed)]","gain":0.0,"priority":"useful","scored":false}],"suggestions":["Attach a standard, machine-readable open licence to the deposit — CC0 or CC BY, which is what Horizon Europe and most funders expect — and print the licence identifier in the paper. 'Free to use' is not a licence: it grants nothing a reuser's institution can rely on.","Release the data in an open, community-standard format (CSV/TSV, JSON, HDF5, NetCDF, FASTQ, VCF, NIfTI…) instead of — or alongside — any proprietary or instrument-native format, and name the format in the paper. A dataset that needs a €2,000 licence to open is not reusable. Prefer open metabolomics formats such as mzML or nmrML.","Cite the dataset in the reference list like a publication — creator, year, title, repository, DOI/accession — and cite it in-text where it is used. Only a reference- list entry is machine-readable to Crossref/DataCite, and only a citation lets the data earn credit. Cite the metabolomics repository accession (e.g. from MetaboLights (MTBLS accession) or Metabolomics Workbench) in the reference list.","Version the deposit and cite the exact version analysed (a version-specific DOI, or an accession with its version suffix). A reader reproducing your work against 'the current release' is reproducing it against a different dataset.","State the access level in words, using the standard vocabulary: 'These data are open access' / 'These data are controlled access'. A reader — and a harvester — should not have to infer the access level from the presence of a download link."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash","agent_version":"fair_agent_v8","fulltext_source":"epmc_xml"},"fair_model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash","fair_agent_version":"fair_agent_v8","fair_fulltext_source":"epmc_xml","fair_has_llm":true,"fair_computed_at":"2026-07-20T12:43:40.544764Z","clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}