Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Cellular Differentiation00:57

Cellular Differentiation

How does a complex organism such as a human develop from a single cell? It all starts from a single fertilized egg which gives rise to a vast array of cell types, such as nerve cells, muscle cells, and epithelial cells that characterize the adult? Throughout development and adulthood, cellular differentiation leads cells to assume their final morphology and physiology. Differentiation is the process by which unspecialized cells become specialized to carry out distinct functions.
A zygote is a...
Forced Transdifferentiation01:28

Forced Transdifferentiation

Transdifferentiation, also known as lineage reprogramming, was first discovered by Selman and Kafatos in 1974 in silkmoths. They observed that the moths’ cuticle-producing cells transformed into salt-producing cells. Many such cases of natural transdifferentiation occur in organisms. In humans, pancreatic alpha cells can become beta cells. In newts, the loss of the eye’s lens causes the pigmented epithelial cells to transdifferentiate into the lens cells.
Artificial transdifferentiation occurs...
Cell Signaling Feedback Loops01:07

Cell Signaling Feedback Loops

Positive and negative feedback loops are crucial for regulating biological signaling systems. These feedback loops are processes that connect output signals to their inputs.
Negative feedback loops
Most signaling systems have negative feedback loops that can perform different functions such as output limiter, and adaptation.
Output limiter
Upon receiving an input signal, the cellular response rapidly increases until a threshold is reached. Beyond this threshold, a negative feedback loop...
iPS Cell Differentiation01:22

iPS Cell Differentiation

The ability of induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs to differentiate into most body cell types has stimulated repair and regenerative medicine research over the past few decades. iPSC-derived blood cells, hepatocytes, beta islet cells, cardiomyocytes, neurons, and other cell types can repair injuries or regenerate damaged tissue in diseases such as diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders.
Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses01:22

Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses

The physiological function of a cell and cellular communication are outcomes of a range of extrinsic signals, intracellular signaling pathways, and cellular responses. No two cell types express the same repertoire of signaling components. Receptors are highly selective for their cognate ligands, but once activated, they can alter multiple cellular processes such as DNA transcription, protein synthesis, and metabolic activity. 
Graded and Abrupt Responses
Some signaling systems generate...
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal01:12

Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal

Notch signaling was first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, where it is involved in cell lineage differentiation. Notch signaling regulates the maintenance and differentiation of intestinal stem cells or ISCs by controlling the expression of atonal homolog 1 or Atoh1. Atoh1 directs cells to differentiate into secretory cells.
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Mapping and engineering the human cell-cell interactome.

Nature biotechnology·2026
Same author

Programmable pathway profiles reveal signaling principles of TGF-β superfamily receptors.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Genome-wide chromatin recording resolves dynamic cell state changes.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Mechanistic insights into E. coli recovery from growth arrest.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Engineering multiple levels of specificity in an RNA viral vector.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Contextual computation by competitive protein dimerization networks.

Cell·2026
Same journal

The cell cloud: Adopting systems biology concepts in the era of single-cell immunology.

PLoS biology·2026
Same journal

Disinhibitory signaling enables flexible coding of top-down information in cortical networks.

PLoS biology·2026
Same journal

Correction: Cdc42 interacts with chaperone Ydj1 to enhance its stability and partitioning during asymmetric cell division and aging in yeast.

PLoS biology·2026
Same journal

Towards globally equitable bioinformatics adoption.

PLoS biology·2026
Same journal

The human claustrum supports cognitive networks for externally and internally driven task demands.

PLoS biology·2026
Same journal

Unusual decay: Recombination loss leads to splicing errors in green algae.

PLoS biology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

Electric-Field-Induced Neural Precursor Cell Differentiation in Microfluidic Devices
07:15

Electric-Field-Induced Neural Precursor Cell Differentiation in Microfluidic Devices

Published on: April 14, 2021

Pulsed feedback defers cellular differentiation.

Joe H Levine1, Michelle E Fontes, Jonathan Dworkin

  • 1Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Division of Biology and Department of Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America.

Plos Biology
|February 4, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bacillus subtilis cells use a pulsed positive feedback loop to delay spore formation for multiple cell cycles. This mechanism ensures robust timing, acting as a timer that operates over extended periods.

More Related Videos

A Live-cell Image-Based Machine Learning Strategy to Monitor Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation
11:38

A Live-cell Image-Based Machine Learning Strategy to Monitor Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation

Published on: October 4, 2024

Efficient Differentiation of Postganglionic Sympathetic Neurons using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells under Feeder-free and Chemically Defined Culture Conditions
10:24

Efficient Differentiation of Postganglionic Sympathetic Neurons using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells under Feeder-free and Chemically Defined Culture Conditions

Published on: May 24, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 25, 2026

Electric-Field-Induced Neural Precursor Cell Differentiation in Microfluidic Devices
07:15

Electric-Field-Induced Neural Precursor Cell Differentiation in Microfluidic Devices

Published on: April 14, 2021

A Live-cell Image-Based Machine Learning Strategy to Monitor Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation
11:38

A Live-cell Image-Based Machine Learning Strategy to Monitor Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation

Published on: October 4, 2024

Efficient Differentiation of Postganglionic Sympathetic Neurons using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells under Feeder-free and Chemically Defined Culture Conditions
10:24

Efficient Differentiation of Postganglionic Sympathetic Neurons using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells under Feeder-free and Chemically Defined Culture Conditions

Published on: May 24, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Cellular differentiation
  • Microbiology
  • Systems biology

Background:

  • Environmental signals trigger cellular differentiation.
  • Some cells delay differentiation for multiple cell cycles after signal exposure.
  • The mechanism for this extended deferral is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate how Bacillus subtilis defers sporulation for multiple cell cycles.
  • Elucidate the role of the Spo0A regulator and associated genetic circuits in this deferral process.
  • Understand the molecular mechanisms enabling long-term temporal control in cellular differentiation.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative time-lapse fluorescence microscopy of Spo0A dynamics in individual Bacillus subtilis cells.
  • Genetic circuit analysis and manipulation.
  • Mathematical modeling of feedback loops and temporal dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Spo0A phosphorylation occurs in pulses within specific cell cycle phases.
  • Pulse amplitudes increase systematically over cell cycles, leading to sporulation.
  • A positive feedback loop involving sporulation kinases is crucial for pulse growth and robust deferral.
  • Mathematical modeling revealed "polyphasic" positive feedback, combining pulsing and time delays for accurate temporal control.

Conclusions:

  • Bacillus subtilis employs a pulsed positive feedback loop to control sporulation timing.
  • This mechanism allows for deferral over timescales much longer than a single cell cycle.
  • The pulsed feedback architecture provides a robust timer for cellular differentiation.