The minimal growth medium for bacteria such as E. coli includes various salts with characteristic concentrations of mM and a carbon source. This carbon source is typically glucose and it is used at 0.2% (a concentration of 0.2g/100ml). Make an estimate of the number of carbon atoms it takes to make up the macromolecular contents of a bacterium such as E. coli.
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Step 1: Calculate the molar mass of carbon: The molar mass of carbon is 12 g/mol. Show more…
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Minimal growth medium for bacteria such as $E$. coll includes various salts with characteristic concentrations in the $\mathrm{mM}$ range and a carbon source. The carbon source is typically glucose and it is used at $0.5 \%$ (a concentration of $0.5 \mathrm{g} / 100 \mathrm{mL}$ ). For nitrogen, minimal medium contains ammonium chloride $\left(\mathrm{NH}_{4} \mathrm{Cl}\right)$ with a concentration of $0.1 \mathrm{g} / 100 \mathrm{mL}$ (a) Make an estimate of the number of carbon atoms it takes to make up the macromolecular contents of a bacterium such as $E$. coli. Similarly, make an estimate of the number of nitrogens it takes to make up the macromolecular contents of a bacterium? What about phosphate? (b) How many cells can be grown in a $5 \mathrm{mL}$ culture using minimal medium before the medium exhausts the carbon? How many cells can be grown in a $5 \mathrm{mL}$ culture using minimal medium before the medium exhausts the nitrogen? Note that this estimate will be flawed because it neglects the energy cost of synthesizing the macromolecules of the cell. These shortcomings will be addressed in Chapter 5
E. coli was incubated with aeration in a nutrient medium containing two carbon sources (see table 1). Figure 1 shows the growth curve from this culture. Table 1. Nutrient Medium Constituent Amount Glucose 5.0 g Ammonium phosphate, monobasic (NH4H2PO4) 1.0 g Sodium chloride (NaCl) 5.0 g Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4-7H2O) 0.2 g Potassium phosphate, dibasic (K2HPO4) 1.0 g Water 1 liter Figure 1. Growth Curve of E. coli, under aerobic conditions
Sukhwinder N.
An $E$. coli cell contains about $2.6 \times 10^{8}$ ions, which constitute about $1 \%$ of the mass of the cell, and each ion has an average molecular mass of $40 \mathrm{g}$. (a) What is the approximate mass of the cell? (b) The same cell contains about $2 \times 10^{8}$ carbohydrate molecules, which have an average molecular mass of $150 \mathrm{g} \cdot \mathrm{mol}^{-1}$. Approximately what percentage of the cell's mass is carbohydrate? (c) The molecular mass of $E .$ coli DNA is about $5.6 \times 10^{9} \mathrm{g} \cdot \mathrm{mol}^{-1}$ and it accounts for about $0.6 \%$ of the cell's mass. How many DNA molecules does the cell contain?
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