Escherichia coli as a model organism

Abstract

Escherichia coli, the enteric bacterium, is an ever-present constituent of all human beings and form a fraction of the normal flora of gut. It is debatably the most finely understood and extensively studied free-living organism on our planet. Escherichia coli is well acknowledged by the shortened name of E. coli. This article has introduced E. coli as a model organism in the biological study and also its several applications which have spawned from research of E. coli. E. coli is the first choice for researchers to investigate numerous basic biological processes which are essential for life and is the most extensively used organism in molecular genetics. The reason of widespread use of E. coli for study purpose is the ease of its maintenance and breeding in a laboratory environment plus its meticulous experimental advantages. As compared to other living organisms more is known about E. coli because of its simple nutritional requirements, rapid growth rate and most important it’s well established genetics. Rate of cell division of E. coli is average of once in every 30 min, thus enabling quick environmental adaptation. This fast division rate of E. coli has helped in evolutionary experiments which are conducted in the laboratories.

Keywords Escherichia coli, Model, Organism, Research, Field