Reference no: EM132510982

Glucose is the preferred carbon source for Escherichia coli bacteria. Researchers isolated E. coli-M, a strain of E. coli with a single mutation that inactivates a key enzyme in one of the three glycolytic pathways E. coli bacteria use to break down glucose. In an initial experiment to study the effect of the mutation on glucose utilization and ATP production by the bacteria. To measure the rate of bacterial growth, they monitor the optical density of the culture as a measure of the bacterial concentration over time.

Predict the growth rate pattern of the E. coli-M bacteria when they are initially added to the growth medium if the mutation does not interfere with glucose utilization.

Provide reasoning to justify your prediction.