Unification of cell division control strategies through continuous rate models

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Cell Biology
• Theoretical Biology

Background:

• The adder model is a leading hypothesis for bacterial cell division control in E. coli.
• This model suggests cells grow a fixed amount before dividing and predicts decorrelation between added size noise and birth size.
• Understanding bacterial division strategies is crucial for controlling cell growth and proliferation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive theory explaining bacterial division strategies, from sizer to timer models.
• To investigate the division control of E. coli using glycerol as a carbon source.
• To experimentally validate theoretical predictions regarding division strategies.

Main Methods:

• Development of a theory based on stochastic hybrid systems.
• Experimental analysis of E. coli division control.
• Growth of E. coli in a glycerol-based medium.

Main Results:

• The study confirms a sizer-like division strategy in E. coli grown on glycerol.
• Experimental data shows that the mean added cell size decreases with increasing birth size.
• The noise in added cell size was observed to increase with birth size, consistent with theoretical predictions.

Conclusions:

• The developed theory successfully explains a range of bacterial division strategies.
• The sizer-like strategy in E. coli involves a trade-off between added size and noise.
• The findings provide insights into potential molecular mechanisms governing bacterial cell division.