Ergothioneine biosynthesis variant-term obsoletion

GO:0052704 and GO:0140479 → GO:0052699 ergothioneine biosynthetic process

AI Gene Review · projects/ERGOTHIONEINE_BIOSYNTHESIS_OBSOLETION · 2026

Bottom line

  • GO obsoleted both route-specific children of GO:0052699: bacterial GO:0052704 and fungal GO:0140479.
  • The only experimental rows are 4 IDA annotations on the M. smegmatis egtBCDE operon (PMID:20420449); ~2,247 IEA rows re-infer automatically.
  • Scoped, not yet started: no review here uses these terms and no egt gene is reviewed.

Old terms → parent

Two routes, one product

Why the routes went

  • The children named the intermediate a pathway passes through, not a different outcome.
  • GO's obsoletion note: these terms "represent a GO-CAM model".
  • The route detail survives as narrowMatch links to MetaCyc PWY-7255 (bacteria) and PWY-7550 (fungi).
  • Each enzyme's own molecular function still says which step it does.

Next steps

  1. If wanted, review the operon as one batch: egtD, egtB, egtC, egtE (A0R5M8, A0R5N0, A0R5M9, A0R5M7), sharing PMID:20420449.
  2. Anchor each on its catalytic MF; BP on GO:0052699.
  3. Species folder: MYCS2 (strain mc(2)155, taxon 246196), beside the generic MYCSM used by arr — as PSEAE sits beside PSEAI.
  4. S. pombe egt1/egt2 are unaffected and optional.

Upstream: go-annotation#6402 · go-ontology#32018 · go-ontology#11163
Read more: projects/ERGOTHIONEINE_BIOSYNTHESIS_OBSOLETION.md