A discrete model of bacterial metabolism

This paper describes a computer model of the intermediary metabolism of bacteria during steady-state growth and during adaptations, e.g. to new carbon sources. Metabolic regulation is represented as a process of optimisation, in which the trend is towards improved metabolic performance. The model uses linear programming techniques for the optimisation. The implementation falls into four phases: (i) assembly of model parameters; (ii) calculations; (iii) storage of solutions and (iv) projection of solutions. The use of a commercial database and a commercial spreadsheet has proved to be of great assistance in the first and third phases. A metabolic map format, with the optional addition of conversion values, names of enzymes or co-factors has been used to project the results in a form convenient for inspection.