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J Bacteriol. 1969 April; 98(1): 232-237
Copyright © 1969 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effect of Decreasing Growth Temperature on Cell Yield of Escherichia coli

Meat Laboratory, Eastern Utilization Research and Development Division, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland 20705

ABSTRACT

Studies of the relationship between yield coefficient and growth rate, as affected by temperature of growth, in Escherichia coli have shown that, over a wide range of temperature, yield is relatively constant until the specific growth rate falls below about 0.2 hr^–1, at which point the yield begins to fall off precipitously. No intermediates of glucose metabolism in a form utilizable at higher temperatures could be found in the medium, and no toxic product was produced which limited growth. At 10 C, 37% of the carbon from glucose-UL-¹⁴C was assimilated into cellular material, whereas, at 30 C, 53% was assimilated. Cells grown at 10 C contained more carbohydrate than did cells grown at 37 C, and the glycogen-to-protein ratio of cells grown at 10 C was approximately three times higher than that of cells grown at 37 C. Adenosine triphosphatase activities of cells grown at 10 and 35 C were similar. Growth rates on glucose, glycerol, and succinate were quite similar at 10 C, but at 35 C growth was most rapid on glucose and slowest on succinate. The data suggest that the decrease in yield with decrease in temperature is a result of uncoupling of energy production from energy utilization.

¹ Present address: Western Utilization Research and Development Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Albany, Calif. 94710.