Correlation of the rate of protein synthesis and the third power of the RNA:: protein ratio in Escherichia coli and Mycobacterium tuberculosis

In order to further understand the different physiological states of the tubercle bacillus, a frame of reference was sought by first correlating the macromolecular compositions of Escherichia coli with specific growth rates and also with the rates of protein synthesis. Data for DNA: protein: RNA were converted to the average amounts of DNA [m(DNA(av))] protein [m(p(av))] and RNA [m(RNA(av))] per cell. The specific growth rate mu was found to be directly proportional to M-RNA(av)/M-p(av). The specific protein synthesis rate per average cell [omega(p(av))] was shown to be directly proportional to the third power of the ratio m(RNA(av))/m(p(av)) which reflects the ribosome concentration. The equations derived were shown apply to both E coli (mu = 1.73 h(-1)) and Mycobacterium bovis BCG (mu = 0.029 h(-1)).