The content in this collection is available only to Washington University in St. Louis users per the request of the Office of Undergraduate Research. If you have questions, please contact .

Document Type

Feature Article

Publication Date

Fall 9-1-2006

Publication Title

Washington University Undergraduate Research Digest: WUURD 2(1)

Abstract

Faculty Mentor: Daniel H. Kohl

Channeling is the preference of an enzyme for intermediates within a pathway over the same intermediates in the cell’s cytoplasm. The importance of this phenomenon stems from its proposed role in reg- ulating metabolism and in allowing a cell to function with limited cel- lular resources. This study is a quantitative examination of channeling in vivo using intact Escherichia coli, an often used model bacterium. In E. coli, enzyme interaction was examined in the glycolytic pathway. A high degree of channeling was found in the seven reactions from fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (F1,6P2) to pyruvate and then on to CO2. This contrasts with the non-significant channeling found from fruc- tose-6-phosphate (F6P) to CO2. The F1,6P2 result is surprising, since detection of channeling in this protocol requires each downstream step of the pathway to preserve channeling and not equilibrate with the cell’s cytoplasm.

From the Washington University Undergraduate Research Digest: WUURD, Volume 2, Issue 1, Fall 2006. Published by the Office of Undergraduate Research.

Henry Biggs, Director of Undergraduate Research and Associate Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences; Joy Zalis Kiefer, Undergraduate Research Coordinator, Editor, and Assistant Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Comments

Copyright: All work is copyrighted by the authors and permission to use this work must be granted. The Office of Undergraduate Research can assist in contacting an author.

Download
Off-campus Download

Share

COinS