Are growth rates of Escherichia coli in batch cultures limited by respiration?

Abstract

Batch cultures of Escherichia coli were grown in miniimal media supplemented with various carbon sources which supported growth at specific growth rates from 0.2 to 1.3/h. The respiration rates of the cultures were measured continuously. With few exceptions, the specific rate of oxygen consumption was about 20 mmol of O2/h per g (dry weight), suggesting that the respiratory capacity was limited at this value. The adenosine triphosphate (ATP) required for the production of cell material from the different carbon sources was calculated on the basis of known ATP requirements in the biochemical pathways and routes of macromolecular synthesis. The calculated ATP requirements, together with the measured growth rates and growth yields on the different carbon sources, were used to calculate the rate of ATP synthesis by oxidative phosphorylation. This rate was closely related to the respiration rate. We suggest that aerobic growth of E. coli in batch cultures is limited by the rate of respiration and the concomitant rate of ATP generation through oxidative phosphorylation.

Dynamics of microbial growth and cell composition in batch culture

“…metabolic over-flow products and other metabolites, excreted proteins, cell wall components and other lyric products [37,38], For example, from the Grampositive bacilli it is known that large cell wall particles are sloughed off into the medium dug to the specific mechanism of growth of the peptidoglycan layer [39,401. F,. coli is known to excrete significant amounts of acetate and probably other compounds during exponential growth with glucose [41]. Our own results with K. pneumoniae confirm this observation with approximately 5-10% of the metabolized carbon being excreted in the form of acetate (Figs.…”

“…Biomass concentration in the stationary phase usually remains constant for several hours. This has been clearly demonstrated in a number of instances including E. coil [41], B. natriegens [45,531 and K. pneumoniae (Fig. 8).…”

Culture conditions influencing phytase production of Mitsuokella jalaludinii, a new bacterial species from the rumen of cattle

“…The absence of a relationship between biomass and phytase synthesis in the present study could be due to an increased accumulation of fermentation by-products, such as lactic acid, succinic acid and acetic acid, in the medium which may depress phytase synthesis. Anderson and Meyenburg (1980) found that glucose feeding led to a bacterial ÔCrabtree effectÕ under aerobic conditions, resulting in the formation of acetate and other metabolic by-products. Meyer et al (1984) pointed out that when complex (instead of defined) media were supplemented with glucose as an additional carbon source, a faster reduction in growth rate Means with different superscripts in the same row are significantly different (P < 0AE05).…”

Ammonium‐Mediated Reduction of Plasmid Copy Number and Recombinant Gene Expression in Escherichia coli

“…Apart from the precise supplements required for a specific biological system or strain, the general influences of some medium components on recombinant gene expression have been described and studied. Among them, glucose-mediated inhibition of cell growth (Andersen and von Meyenburg, 1980) and product yield (Rinas et al, 1989;Vila and Villaverde, 1993) is of relevant interest because this sugar is often employed as a carbon source in defined media or even as a supplement in complex media. In general, all of the essential substrates for bacterial growth are toxic to the cells beyond critical thresholds, which are specific for each particular strain, medium, and growth conditions.…”