The common message of constraint-based optimization approaches: overflow metabolism is caused by two growth-limiting constraints

Daan H. de Groot*, Julia Lischke, Riccardo Muolo, Robert Planqué, Frank J. Bruggeman, Bas Teusink

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Living cells can express different metabolic pathways that support growth. The criteria that determine which pathways are selected in which environment remain unclear. One recurrent selection is overflow metabolism: the simultaneous usage of an ATP-efficient and -inefficient pathway, shown for example in Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and cancer cells. Many models, based on different assumptions, can reproduce this observation. Therefore, they provide no conclusive evidence which mechanism is causing overflow metabolism. We compare the mathematical structure of these models. Although ranging from flux balance analyses to self-fabricating metabolism and expression models, we can rewrite all models into one standard form. We conclude that all models predict overflow metabolism when two, model-specific, growth-limiting constraints are hit. This is consistent with recent theory. Thus, identifying these two constraints is essential for understanding overflow metabolism. We list all imposed constraints by these models, so that they can hopefully be tested in future experiments.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)441-453
Number of pages13
JournalCellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Volume77
Issue number3
Early online date22 Nov 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2020

Funding

DHdG and BT acknowledge NWO VICI grant 865.14.005, JL thanks EraCoBiotech grant YogurtDesign (NWO Grant 053.80.733) and RM acknowledges ITN SynCrop (Grant agreement no 764591) for financial support.

FundersFunder number
NWO VICI
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme764591
Immune Tolerance Network
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek053.80.733, 865.14.005

    Keywords

    • Elementary flux modes
    • Elementary growth modes
    • Genome-scale modeling
    • Growth rate maximization
    • Metabolism and expression
    • Overflow metabolism

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