Methods for analysis of evolutive adaptation of E. coli

Mathematical models of the metabolism of organisms like Escherichia coli provide a possibility to improve the production of industrial relevant compounds. These models allow predictions of the behavior of metabolism and thus proposals to change it to an industrial benefit. We use an innovative approach utilizing evolutionary adaptation for the activation of relevant biosynthesis pathways. The evolutionary trend of E. coli to optimal substrate yields is employed to maximize the production of an industrial desired compound. Pyruvate is a central metabolite in metabolism that is essential for survival. Under an evolutionary pressure an E. coli mutant with knock outs in the main pyruvate synthesis pathways deregulates alternative pyruvate synthesis pathways. Many of those alternative pathways operate via industrial relevant compounds. Thus their deregulation is an important step towards efficient production strains. This paper uses a metabolic network model and presents a method to predict possible deregulated pathways. Furthermore tools to analyze the pathways and to support their understanding are presented.