title: Growth of a mutant of Escherichia coli K-12 on xylitol by recruiting enzymes for D-xylose and L1,2-propanediol metabolism.
abstract: Wild type Escherichia coli K-12 cannot grow on xylitol and we have been unsuccessful in isolating a mutant directly which had acquired this new growth ability. However, a mutant had been selected previously for growth on L-1,2-propanediol as the sole source of carbon and energy. This mutant constitutively synthesized a propanediol dehydrogenase. Recently, we have found that this dehydrogenase fortuitously converted xylitol to D-xylose which could normally be metabolized by E. coli K-12. In addition, it was also discovered that the D-xylose permease fortuitously transported xylitol into the cell. A second mutant was thus isolated from the L-1,2-propanediol-growing mutant that was constitutive for the enzymes of the D-xylose pathway. This mutant could indeed grow on xylitol as the sole source of carbon and energy, by utilizing the enzymes normally involved in D-xylose and L-1,2-propanediol metabolism.
mesh_terms: D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D002238:Carbohydrate Epimerases / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008954:Models, Biological; D010770:Phosphotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D011409:Propylene Glycols / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014993:Xylitol / Q000378:metabolism*; D014994:Xylose / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011409:Propylene Glycols; D014994:Xylose; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases; D010770:Phosphotransferases; D002238:Carbohydrate Epimerases; D014993:Xylitol