**12.** *E. coli* **as a model organism**

*Escherichia coli* is a well-known prokaryotic bacterium that is widely used as a model organism for a variety of research due to its adaptability. *E. coli* is more understood than other living species because of its minimal dietary requirements, rapid growth rate, and, most critically, well-established genetics [61]. *E. coli* cells divide once every 20–30 min on average, allowing them to adapt to their surroundings quickly. It also promotes the growth of numerous bacterial viruses (bacteriophages), allowing researchers to examine the structure and pathogenicity of viruses in greater detail. It is a good model organism for molecular genetics because of its ability to grow quickly on low-cost media and the availability of molecular tools to perform genetic modifications [62].

Recent research on "wild" *E. coli*, for example, has revealed a lot about the bacterial existence in the environment, its variety and genetic development, and its function in the human microbiome and diseases [7]. Vaccine development, bioremediation, biofuel generation, and immobilized enzymes have all exploited modified *E. coli* cells [61]. Furthermore, because *E. coli* reproduce primarily asexually, alterations to the genome are preserved, and the effects exhibited in these mutants are repeatable. Because of these characteristics, *E. coli* is an excellent model organism for molecular genetics and microbiology research, as well as modern biological engineering [62].

### **13. What discoveries were made using** *E. coli* **as a model organism**

Several key inventions in the field of molecular biology, including molecular genetics, were achieved using *E. coli* as a model organism. This includes an


**Table 5.**

*Nobel-worthy discoveries of* E. coli *organism [8].*

understanding of the genetic code, the mechanisms of DNA replication, the discovery of the genetic operon systems, and the creation of a genetically modified organism. Many proteins previously thought difficult or impossible to be expressed in *E. coli* in folded form have been successfully expressed in *E. coli*. The process of conjugation was discovered in *E. coli* in 1946 by Joshua Lederberg and Edward L. Tatum [63]. The availability of DNA sequence information coupled with vast biochemical and physiological data makes *E. coli* the organism of choice not only for virologists, biochemists, and molecular biologists but for all researchers of biology [8]. The most prominent discoveries made with *E. coli* are presented in **Table 5**.

### **14. Conclusion**

*E. coli* is a truly resourceful microorganism possessing many facets. It is known for its fast-growing rate in chemically defined media and its adaptability, for ease of handling. So, *E. coli* is the most studied and well-understood organism on the planet. It's been widely used in research, employed as a model organism to investigate biological processing protein engineering, genetic research, and used in biotechnology, its versatility continues to open up new avenues for future investigations.

Escherichia coli*: An Overview of Main Characteristics DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.105508*
