A stochastic model of Min oscillations in Escherichia coli and Min protein segregation during cell division

The Min system in Escherichia coli directs division to the centre of the cell through pole-to-pole oscillations of the MinCDE proteins. We present a one-dimensional stochastic model of these oscillations which incorporates membrane polymerization of MinD into linear chains. This model reproduces much of the observed phenomenology of the Min system, including pole-to-pole oscillations of the Min proteins. We then apply this model to investigate the Min system during cell division. Oscillations continue initially unaffected by the closing septum, before cutting off rapidly. The fractions of Min proteins in the daughter cells vary widely, from 50%-50% up to 85%-15% of the total from the parent cell, suggesting that there may be another mechanism for regulating these levels in vivo.