Metabolic Flux Analysis in Escherichia coli

Metabolic Flux Analysis in Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is widely used as a model microorganism for various biochemical and biotechnological studies because of its clear genetic background and ease of cultivation. It is also an excellent industrial model microorganism due to its fast anaerobic growth rate and its ability to utilize simple inorganic salt media and a variety of substrates (e.g., glucose, xylose, glycerol). However, many of the physiological responses of wild-type and engineered E. coli are not well defined due to their complex regulation and metabolism. Based on ¹³C-metabolic flux analysis (MFA), a powerful method for uncovering metabolic rewiring, Creative Proteomics is dedicated to providing valuable biological insights that facilitate E. coli-based synthetic biology research and metabolic engineering applications, among others.

E. coli metabolic engineering

E. coli is an important strain that cannot be ignored in the field of metabolic engineering. This microorganism has a variety of advantages, including a fast anaerobic growth rate, clear genetic background, and easy cultivation, among others. Metabolic engineering modified E. coli can be used to produce a variety of products such as organic alcohols, amino acids, organic acids, organic amines, vitamins, natural products and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and can be applied to the green biosynthesis of bulk chemicals such as L-alanine, L-lysine, L-threonine, 1,3-propanediol, D-lactic acid, butanedioic acid and glutaric diamine. Because of these advantages and its widespread use, E. coli has become an important part of the metabolic engineering field and has a very bright future. MFA is a powerful technique that has been used for years to measure fluxes of metabolites through metabolic pathways in E. Coli cells.

Service offering at Creative Proteomics

As a flexible and powerful method to elucidate intracellular metabolic rewiring, ¹³C-MFA has been widely used in a variety of microorganisms and has revealed many metabolic "mysteries" within wild-type, evolved and engineered strains. Based on the latest state-of-the-art techniques in ¹³C-MFA, parallel labeling strategies, and optimal tracers, we can quantify precise metabolic fluxes under each condition and facilitate comprehensive characterizations of E. coli. metabolism. Specifically, our E. coli MFA service typically includes measurement of the flux of substrates and metabolites within the cell, as well as the concentrations of other biochemical compounds. We can also measure the fluxes of energy, carbon, and nitrogen through the cell. Additionally, our service can be applied to quantify the production of specific metabolic products, such as amino acids, proteins, and enzymes.

Applications of our service

• Identification and investigation of metabolic bottlenecks
• Discovery of key cofactors in the metabolic pathways of metabolite biosynthesis in E. coli
• Elucidation of the metabolic responses to the genetic modification of engineered E. coli strains
• To study the metabolic response of E. coli under different environmental stresses

MFA can be used to identify metabolic pathways and quantify fluxes through the pathways, providing valuable insight into the metabolic functions in E. coli strains. In addition, MFA can be used to help optimize metabolic pathways for improved yield and productivity. If you are interested in our services, or specific experience, or would like to receive professional advice in the areas we cover, we look forward to hearing from you! For general inquiries, please use our contact form. We will forward your inquiry to the appropriate contact.

References

1. Guo, Weihua, Jiayuan Sheng, and Xueyang Feng. "13C-metabolic flux analysis: an accurate approach to demystify microbial metabolism for biochemical production." Bioengineering 3.1 (2015): 3.
2. Gonzalez, Jacqueline E., Christopher P. Long, and Maciek R. Antoniewicz. "Comprehensive analysis of glucose and xylose metabolism in Escherichia coli under aerobic and anaerobic conditions by 13C metabolic flux analysis." Metabolic engineering 39 (2017): 9-18.