Escherichia coli excretes acetate during aerobic growth in a rich medium, L-broth containing 0.4% glucose, and growth ceases before depletion of glucose because of the decrease in pH caused by the accumulation of acetate. The addition of sodium phosphate buffer to the medium allows cells to reuse the acetate accumulated. Reuse of the acetate, however, does not occur in the presence of remaining glucose. A gene on a multicopy plasmid was found to significantly decrease the accumulation of acetate by the transformant and the growth did not cease until depletion of both the glucose and acetate in the medium. The gene was tentatively named mlc (making large colonies). The putative Mlc protein has high holology with the NagC protein, which is a regulator ptotein in the nag operon responsible for the use of N-acetylglucosamine. The nagC gene on a multicopy plasmid also decreased the accumulation of acetate. Although the function of the genes in the phenomenon described is still unclear, transformants harboring the mlc gene or nagCgene on a multicopy plasmid will be useful for condensed cultivations involving glucose.

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