This may be done by using formate to reduce electron carriers and supply the ATP required in anabolic pathways inside of these synthetic autotrophs.E. coli have three native glycolytic pathways: EMPP, EDP, and OPPP. The EMPP employs ten enzymatic steps to yield two pyruvates, two ATP, and two NADH per glucose molecule  while OPPP serves as an oxidation route for NADPH synthesis. Although the EDP is the more thermodynamically favourable of the three pathways, E. coli do not use the EDP for glucose metabolism, relying mainly on the EMPP and the OPPP. The EDP mainly remains inactive except for during growth with gluconate. Catabolite repression
When growing in the presence of a mixture of sugars, bacteria will often consume the sugars sequentially through a process known as catabolite repression. By repressing the expression of the genes involved in metabolizing the less preferred sugars, cells will usually first consume the sugar yielding the highest growth rate, followed by the sugar yielding the next highest growth rate, and so on. In doing so the cells ensure that their limited metabolic resources are being used to maximize the rate of growth. The well-used example of this with E. coli involves the growth of the bacterium on glucose and lactose, where E. coli will consume glucose before lactose. Catabolite repression has also been observed in E. coli in the presence of other non-glucose sugars, such as arabinose and xylose, sorbitol, rhamnose, and ribose.
See also
References
Databases and external links

EcoCyc – literature-based curation of the entire genome, and of transcriptional regulation, transporters, and metabolic pathways
Membranome database provides information about single-pass transmembrane proteins from E. coli and several other organisms
E. coli statistics
E. coli Infection | Causes & Risk Factors
Bacteriome E. coli interaction database
EcoGene (genome database and website dedicated to Escherichia coli K-12 substrain MG1655)
EcoSal Continually updated Web resource based on the classic ASM Press publication Escherichia coli and Salmonella: Cellular and Molecular Biology
ECODAB The structure of the O-antigens that form the basis of the serological classification of E. coli
Coli Genetic Stock Center Strains and genetic information on E. coli K-12
PortEco (formerly EcoliHub) – NIH-funded comprehensive data resource for E. coli K-12 and its phage, plasmids, and mobile genetic elements
EcoliWiki is the community annotation component of PortEco
RegulonDB RegulonDB is a model of the complex regulation of transcription initiation or regulatory network of the cell E. coli K-12. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC)
AlignACE Matrices that search for additional binding sites in the E. coli genomic sequence
E. coli on Protein Data Bank