Inflating bacterial cells by increased protein synthesis
Abstract Understanding how the homeostasis of cellular size and composition is accomplished by different organisms is an outstanding challenge in biology. For exponentially growing Escherichia coli cells, it is long known that the size of cells exhibits a strong positive relation with their growth r...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
2015-10-01
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| Series: | Molecular Systems Biology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.15252/msb.20156178 |
| _version_ | 1797280444312453120 |
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| author | Markus Basan Manlu Zhu Xiongfeng Dai Mya Warren Daniel Sévin Yi‐Ping Wang Terence Hwa |
| author_facet | Markus Basan Manlu Zhu Xiongfeng Dai Mya Warren Daniel Sévin Yi‐Ping Wang Terence Hwa |
| author_sort | Markus Basan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Understanding how the homeostasis of cellular size and composition is accomplished by different organisms is an outstanding challenge in biology. For exponentially growing Escherichia coli cells, it is long known that the size of cells exhibits a strong positive relation with their growth rates in different nutrient conditions. Here, we characterized cell sizes in a set of orthogonal growth limitations. We report that cell size and mass exhibit positive or negative dependences with growth rate depending on the growth limitation applied. In particular, synthesizing large amounts of “useless” proteins led to an inversion of the canonical, positive relation, with slow growing cells enlarged 7‐ to 8‐fold compared to cells growing at similar rates under nutrient limitation. Strikingly, this increase in cell size was accompanied by a 3‐ to 4‐fold increase in cellular DNA content at slow growth, reaching up to an amount equivalent to ~8 chromosomes per cell. Despite drastic changes in cell mass and macromolecular composition, cellular dry mass density remained constant. Our findings reveal an important role of protein synthesis in cell division control. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T16:41:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-64814f444848473db58788b0b2d951c3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1744-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T16:41:18Z |
| publishDate | 2015-10-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecular Systems Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-64814f444848473db58788b0b2d951c32024-03-03T08:12:08ZengSpringer NatureMolecular Systems Biology1744-42922015-10-011110n/an/a10.15252/msb.20156178Inflating bacterial cells by increased protein synthesisMarkus Basan0Manlu Zhu1Xiongfeng Dai2Mya Warren3Daniel Sévin4Yi‐Ping Wang5Terence Hwa6Institute of Molecular Systems Biology ETH Zürich Zürich SwitzerlandDepartment of Physics University of California at San Diego La Jolla CA USADepartment of Physics University of California at San Diego La Jolla CA USADepartment of Physics University of California at San Diego La Jolla CA USAInstitute of Molecular Systems Biology ETH Zürich Zürich SwitzerlandState Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research School of Life Sciences Peking University Beijing ChinaDepartment of Physics University of California at San Diego La Jolla CA USAAbstract Understanding how the homeostasis of cellular size and composition is accomplished by different organisms is an outstanding challenge in biology. For exponentially growing Escherichia coli cells, it is long known that the size of cells exhibits a strong positive relation with their growth rates in different nutrient conditions. Here, we characterized cell sizes in a set of orthogonal growth limitations. We report that cell size and mass exhibit positive or negative dependences with growth rate depending on the growth limitation applied. In particular, synthesizing large amounts of “useless” proteins led to an inversion of the canonical, positive relation, with slow growing cells enlarged 7‐ to 8‐fold compared to cells growing at similar rates under nutrient limitation. Strikingly, this increase in cell size was accompanied by a 3‐ to 4‐fold increase in cellular DNA content at slow growth, reaching up to an amount equivalent to ~8 chromosomes per cell. Despite drastic changes in cell mass and macromolecular composition, cellular dry mass density remained constant. Our findings reveal an important role of protein synthesis in cell division control.https://doi.org/10.15252/msb.20156178cell sizecell divisioncellular DNAcell volumegrowth rate |
| spellingShingle | Markus Basan Manlu Zhu Xiongfeng Dai Mya Warren Daniel Sévin Yi‐Ping Wang Terence Hwa Inflating bacterial cells by increased protein synthesis Molecular Systems Biology cell size cell division cellular DNA cell volume growth rate |
| title | Inflating bacterial cells by increased protein synthesis |
| title_full | Inflating bacterial cells by increased protein synthesis |
| title_fullStr | Inflating bacterial cells by increased protein synthesis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inflating bacterial cells by increased protein synthesis |
| title_short | Inflating bacterial cells by increased protein synthesis |
| title_sort | inflating bacterial cells by increased protein synthesis |
| topic | cell size cell division cellular DNA cell volume growth rate |
| url | https://doi.org/10.15252/msb.20156178 |
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