Predicting resource use in microbes

Abstract

Metabolic Modeling![Figure][1] A scanning electron micrograph of Escherichia coli bacteria, a workhorse for molecular and synthetic biology PHOTO: MARTIN OEGGERLI/SCIENCE SOURCE A bacterial cell is a microscopic, self-replicating factory that hosts thousands of interconnected chemical reactions. Metabolism varies with input materials and environment and can be manipulated in the lab to yield desired products. Bulović et al. created a package of tools to automate construction of models of metabolite flux in bacteria. A key step is optimization of parameters using experimental data, but the predictions were robust even when limited information was available. The authors model a strain of Escherichia coli engineered to fix carbon, demonstrating that such models can be useful planning tools for synthetic biology. Metab. Eng. 55 , 12 (2019). [1]: pending:yes