Which of the Following Statements is FALSE About the E

Question

Which of the following statements is FALSE about the E. coli phosphotransferase system (PTS)?
A) Enzyme II components are specific to the substrates being transported.
B) The substrate is phosphorylated during transport by PTS, making it different from the external substrate; thus, the substrate always travels down its concentration gradient.
C) The phosphate group transferred to the sugar comes from phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP).
D) The PTS transport requires energy in the form of ATP.
E) The system has a modular design that accommodates different substrates.

Accepted Answer

The PTS system uses phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) as the phosphate donor for the phosphorylation of sugars during their transport into the cell, not ATP. This is a key feature distinguishing it from other transport systems that might use ATP directly.