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The problem is formulated for description of objects having various natures which uses a system of linear equations with variable number exceeding the number of the equations. An important feature of this problem that substantially complicates its solving is the existing of restrictions imposed on a number of the variables. In particular, the choice of biochemical reaction aggregate that converts a preset substrate (a feedstock) into a preset product belongs to this kind of problems. In this case, unknown variables are the rates of biochemical reactions which form a vector to be determined. Components of this vector are subdivided into two groups: 1) the defined components, $\vec{y}$; 2) those dependent on the defined ones, $\vec{x}$. Possible configurations of the domain of $\vec{y}$ values permitted by restrictions imposed upon $\vec{x}$ components have been studied. It has been found that a part of restrictions may be superfluous and, therefore, unnecessary for the problem solving. Situations are analyzed when two or more $\vec{x}$ restrictions result in strict interconnections between $\vec{y}$ components. Methods of search of the basis solutions which take into account the peculiarities of this problem are described. Statement of the general problem and properties of its solutions are illustrated using a biochemical example.

A vector-matrix approach to the theoretical design of metabolic pathways converting chemical compounds, viz., preset substrates, into desirable products is described. It is a mathematical basis for computer–aided generation of alternative biochemical reaction sets executing the given substrate–product conversion. The pathways are retrieved from the used database of biochemical reactions and utilize the reaction stoichiometry and restrictions based on the irreversibility of a part of them. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of restriction interrelations. It is shown that the number of restrictions can be notably reduced due to the existence of families of parallel restricting planes in the space of reaction flows. Coinciding planes of contradirectional restrictions result in the existence of fixed reaction flow values. The problem of exclusion of so called futile cycles is also considered. Utilization of these factors allows essential lowering of the problem complexity and necessary computational resources. An example of alternative biochemical pathway computation for conversion of glucose and glycerol into succinic acid is given. It is found that for a preset “substrate–product” pair many pathways have the same high-energy bond balance.

The problem has been considered, to what extent the kinetic models of cellular metabolism fit the matter which they describe. Foundations of stoichiometry of the whole metabolism and its large regions have been stated. A bioenergetic representation of stoichiometry based on a universal unit of chemical compound reductivity, viz., redoxon, has been described. Equations of mass-energy balance (bioenergetic variant of stoichiometry) have been derived for metabolic flows including those of protons possessing high electrochemical potential μ_H⁺, and high-energy compounds. Interrelations have been obtained which determine the biomass yield, rate of uptake of energy source for cell growth and other important physiological quantities as functions of biochemical characteristics of cellular energetics. The maximum biomass energy yield values have been calculated for different energy sources utilized by cells. These values coincide with those measured experimentally.