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Updated: Mar 24, 2026
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High-Throughput Live Imaging of Microcolonies to Measure Heterogeneity in Growth and Gene Expression
Published on: April 18, 2021
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Noise-driven growth rate gain in clonal cellular populations
Mikihiro Hashimoto1, Takashi Nozoe1, Hidenori Nakaoka1
1Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan;
Summary
Cellular noise unexpectedly accelerates population growth in Escherichia coli. This study reveals a fundamental benefit of noise for proliferation, establishing a growth law that acts as a speed limit.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Systems Biology
- Population Dynamics
Background:
- Cellular populations exhibit phenotypic heterogeneity, leading to complex population dynamics.
- Predicting population growth from single-cell behavior is a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of growth noise on clonal population growth dynamics.
- To determine if population-level growth benefits can be predicted from single-cell variations.
Main Methods:
- Observing Escherichia coli populations for hundreds of generations at single-cell resolution.
- Analyzing population-level growth rate gain and age structures.
- Developing theoretical models linking growth rate gain to lineage generation time distributions.
Main Results:
- Growth noise enables clonal populations to double faster than the average single-cell doubling time.
- Population growth rate gain and age structures are predictable.
- An empirical linear relationship between generation time means and variances was discovered, constraining maximal growth rates.
Conclusions:
- Noise provides a fundamental benefit to population growth.
- A novel growth law was identified, setting a proliferation speed limit.
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