Speed versus efficiency in microbial growth and the role of parallel pathways.
Many microorganisms have sets of parallel pathways for ATP production in respiration and for ATP utilization in glutamate synthesis. The alternatives differ in efficiency of ATP production and utilization. The choice among these parallel pathways has been hypothesized to control the speed and efficiency of growth. Thus, the organism should be able to alleviate (or exaggerate) deficiency in one pathway by deleting another. I show here that in Escherichia coli the effect of lack of the glutamate-synthesizing enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase on glucose-limited growth is altered predictably by ndh, cyo, and cyd mutations affecting parallel pathways leading to ATP synthesis in respiration.
Helling
Robert B
RB
Department of Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1048, USA. helling@umich.edu
D003470:Culture Media; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016296:Mutagenesis; D013997:Time Factors
D003470:Culture Media; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase