Effect of zwf gene knockout on the metabolism of Escherichia coli grown on glucose or acetate

The mutant deficient in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) was constructed by disrupting zwf gene by one-step inactivation protocol using polymerase chain reaction primers. The knockout of zwf gene was shown to have different influence on the metabolism of Escherichia coli grown on glucose or acetate. The decreased rates of substrate uptake and CO2 production were found for the mutant grown on acetate, whereas these two rates were increased during the growth on glucose. The metabolic flux analysis based on 13C-labeling experiments indicates that the metabolism of the mutant grown on glucose is related to the higher flux via tricorboxylic acid (TCA) cycle to generate anabolic reducing equivalents normally provided by the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway. However, the metabolism of the mutant grown on acetate shows a lower flux towards the TCA cycle as compared with the parent strain. The decreased flux through TCA cycle is associated with an increased flux via the glyoxylate shunt, by which the carbon source can bypass the two decarboxylative steps of TCA cycle in which CO2 is released, thus conserving more carbon for biosynthesis in response to the decreased uptake rate of the carbon source.