Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Site Tools

  • AAAS
  • Subscribe
  • Feedback

Site Search

Search Advanced

Science 4 December 1964:
Vol. 146. no. 3649, pp. 1313 - 1315
DOI: 10.1126/science.146.3649.1313
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Evolution of a Catabolic Pathway in Bacteria

S. A. Lerner 1, T. T. Wu 1, and E. C. C. Lin 1

1 Department of Biological Chemistry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Genetic derepression of ribitol dehydrogenase in a mutant of Aerobacter aerogenes, strain 1033, enabled it to grow on xylitol, a substrate of the enzyme, but not its inducer. A derivative strain with an improved rate of growth on xylitol was obtained from the first mutant. The faster growth rate was made possible by the production of an altered ribitol dehydrogenase, as demonstrated by an increase in its activity on xylitol relative to ribitol and by its decreased heat stability.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
A Biochemical Mechanism for Nonrandom Mutations and Evolution.
B. E. Wright (2000)
J. Bacteriol. 182, 2993-3001
   Full Text »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)