Analysis of \u3cem\u3eE. Coli\u3c/em\u3e RK 4353 Metabolites

As antibiotic resistance increases, new and novel methods of microbial control are needed. One such method involves targeting important enzymes in bacterial metabolic pathways, like methylthioadenosine/S-adenosylhomocysteine nuclosidase (MTN). MTN salvages adenine and methionine for use in the activated methyl cycle and is important in bacterial virulence. In this study, we examined the importance of MTN in the metabolic health of Escherichia coli to determine its potential as a target for antibiotics. After overnight incubation in minimal media, we analyzed the cell supernatant metabolite levels of the E. coli RK 4353 wild type (WT) strain and compared them to the metabolite levels in the MTN gene knock out (KO) and knock in (KI) strains. Initial data for various metabolites including pyruvate, acetate, ethanol, and lactate—all important components in metabolic pathways—suggests that MTN is indeed critical to E. coli growth and that its absence prevents the bacteria from fully utilizing these resources, making it an attractive target for further antibiotic research