Escherichia coli derivatives lacking both alcohol dehydrogenase and phosphotransacetylase grow anaerobically by lactate fermentation

Journal Article · Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Journal of Bacteriology; (USA)

OSTI ID:5027817

Gupta, S; Clark, D P ^[1]

---

1. Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale (USA)

Escherichia coli mutants lacking alcohol dehydrogenase (adh mutants) cannot synthesize the fermentation product ethanol and are unable to grow anaerobically on glucose and other hexoses. Similarly, phosphotransacetylase-negative mutants (pta mutants) neither excrete acetate nor grow anaerobically. However, when a strain carrying an adh deletion was selected for anaerobic growth on glucose, spontaneous pta mutants were isolated. Strains carrying both adh and pta mutations were observed by in vivo nuclear magnetic resonance and shown to produce lactic acid as the major fermentation product. Various combinations of adh pta double mutants regained the ability to grow anaerobically on hexoses, by what amounts to a homolactic fermentation. Unlike wild-type strains, such adh pta double mutants were unable to grow anaerobically on sorbitol or on glucuronic acid. The growth properties of strains carrying various mutations affecting the enzymes of fermentation are discussed terms of redox balance.

• DOE Contract Number: AC02-82ER12095
• OSTI ID: 5027817
• Journal Information: Journal of Bacteriology; (USA), Vol. 171:7; ISSN 0021-9193
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
GLUCOSE
FERMENTATION
LACTIC ACID
BIOSYNTHESIS
ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE
ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS
ESCHERICHIA COLI
GROWTH
MUTANTS
REDOX REACTIONS
ALDEHYDES
BACTERIA
BIOCONVERSION
CARBOHYDRATES
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ENZYMES
HEMIACETAL DEHYDROGENASES
HEXOSES
HYDROXY ACIDS
MICROORGANISMS
MONOSACCHARIDES
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDOREDUCTASES
SACCHARIDES
SYNTHESIS
550200* - Biochemistry