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Updated: May 10, 2026
10:38
Monitoring Cell-autonomous Circadian Clock Rhythms of Gene Expression Using Luciferase Bioluminescence Reporters
Published on: September 27, 2012
A synchronized quorum of genetic clocks
Tal Danino1, Octavio Mondragón-Palomino, Lev Tsimring
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
Nature
|January 22, 2010
Summary
Scientists engineered a synchronized genetic clock in microbial populations. This breakthrough enables synchronized oscillations for potential macroscopic biosensors and offers insights into emergent colony behavior.
Area of Science:
- Synthetic biology
- Systems biology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Synthetic biology focuses on engineering genetic circuits for predictable functions in living cells.
- Early successes include genetic toggle switches and oscillators, leading to circuits for pattern generation and event counting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a gene network capable of synchronized oscillations in a cellular population.
- To investigate collective synchronization and spatiotemporal waves using microfluidic devices.
- To computationally model the relationship between flow rate and oscillation characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Design and construction of an engineered gene network with global intercellular coupling.
- Utilizing microfluidic devices to study cellular populations at various scales.
- Employing computational modeling to analyze oscillation dynamics.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated synchronized oscillations in a growing population of cells.
- Observed collective synchronization properties and millimetre-scale spatiotemporal waves.
- Quantitatively described the dependence of oscillation period and amplitude on flow rate.
Conclusions:
- The engineered synchronized genetic clock paves the way for microbial-based macroscopic biosensors.
- Provides a model system for understanding emergent coordinated behavior at the colony level.
- Highlights the potential of synthetic biology for creating novel biological systems.
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