The P cycle and the TCA cycle in media containing excess oxaloacetate, pyruvate, or acetate in E. coli. (A) Adenylate energy charge, NAD+/NADH, and PMF of E. coli K12 and the indicated mutants. Cells were grown in LB medium and then incubated in M9 medium with and without acetate (10 mM) in the presence or absence of the indicated oxaloacetate (10 mM) and pyruvate (10 mM), as indicated. (B) Scatterplot of the abundance of the indicated metabolites in ∆pck, ∆aceE, and ∆gltA or control cells. Cells were grown in LB medium and then incubated in M9 medium plus acetate (10 mM) in the presence or absence of oxaloacetate (10 mM), pyruvate (10 mM), or both. (C) Percent survival of the indicated bacterial species/strains. Cells were grown in LB medium and then incubated in M9 medium plus acetate (10 mM) in the presence or absence of the indicated compounds: glutamate (2.5 mM) or fructose (2.5 mM), furfural (10 mM) or malonate (20 mM), and kanamycin (40 or 80 μg/mL) or gentamicin (1.6 μg/mL). Strains tgc6, mcc31, and Y1, Y17 are clinically isolated E. coli from infected chicken and humans, respectively. Results (A–C) are mean ± SEM of three biological repeats. Statistically significant values are indicated with an asterisk (*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01) and were determined by Student’s t test.