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Published on: February 17, 2023
Analysis of global control of Escherichia coli carbohydrate uptake
Andreas Kremling1, Katja Bettenbrock, Ernst Dieter Gilles
1Max-Planck-Institut Magdeburg, Systems Biology, Sandtorstr, 1, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany. kremling@mpi-magdeburg.mpg.de
Background:
Global control influences the regulation of many individual subsystems by superimposed regulator proteins. A prominent example is the control of carbohydrate uptake systems by the transcription factor Crp in Escherichia coli. A detailed understanding of the coordination of the control of individual transporters offers possibilities to explore the potential of microorganisms e.g. in biotechnology.
Results:
An o.d.e. based mathematical model is presented that maps a physiological parameter - the specific growth rate - to the sensor of the signal transduction unit, here a component of the bacterial phosphotransferase system (PTS), namely EIIACrr. The model describes the relation between the growth rate and the degree of phosphorylation of EIIA crr for a number of carbohydrates by a distinctive response curve, that differentiates between PTS transported carbohydrates and non-PTS carbohydrates. With only a small number of kinetic parameters, the model is able to describe a broad range of experimental steady-state and dynamical conditions.
Conclusion:
The steady-state characteristic presented shows a relationship between the growth rate and the output of the sensor system PTS. The glycolytic flux that is measured by this sensor is a good indicator to represent the nutritional status of the cell.
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