Mechanistically detailed model of cellular metabolism for glucose-limited growth of Escherichia coli B/r-A.

A structured mathematical model for cellular metabolism in Escherichia coli has been extended to encompass the mechanistic structure surrounding the kinetics and control of transcription and translation. The dependence of transcription on RNA polymerase and the mechanism of translation initiation have been explicitly included. This model correctly simulates cell growth, cell composition, and the timing of chromosome synthesis as a function of extracellular substrate concentration for glucose-limited balanced growth. Simulation results for the subpopulation of RNA polymerase engaged in transcription and for the distribution of this subpopulation among different promoter sites agree closely with experimental findings, as do calculated estimates of the active ribosomal fraction. In addition, the existence of an antitermination system for transcription of stable RNA operons is supported by model results. This model should provide a useful framework for investigating metabolic perturbations to E. coli, such as those resulting from insertion of extra-chromosomal vectors into the cells.