Tuesday 24 December 2013

New models predict where E. Coli will thrive

Bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have used the genomic sequences of 55 E. coli strains to reconstruct the metabolic sequenced for each strain. These reconstructions predict the kind of environment where each strain will thrive.

The reconstructions map out all the genes, reactions and products of metabolism for each strain and allow the researchers to probe their coordinated functionality. Each strain's metabolic capabilities, the researchers discovered, correspond to specific environmental niches. Commensal or "friendly" E. coli strains also can be distinguished from pathogenic strains using this technique.

The analysis has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For further details see U of C.

Posted by Tim Sandle

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