Escherichia coli: One of the Simplest Cells

Abstract

A bacterium that inhabits our intestinal tract, Escherichia coli,has the distinction of being the most biochemically defined organism known to science. It has been central to the study of biochemistry since its discovery in 1885 by Escherich, due in part to its general availability and ease of growth, and in part to plain serendipity. Escherichia coli has played a major role in many of the seminal discoveries of biochemistry: the genetic code, glycolysis, and the regulation of protein synthesis. To quote a review of the molecular biology of Escherichia coli: “Not everyone is mindful of it, but all cell biologists have two cells of interest: the one they are studying and Escherichia coli!”*