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

Stringent Response in E. coli01:23

Stringent Response in E. coli

71
Bacterial growth is closely tied to nutrient availability, with cells proliferating exponentially under favorable conditions and entering a stationary phase when resources become scarce. This transition is mediated by a regulatory mechanism known as the stringent response, which allows bacteria to adapt to nutrient deprivation by modulating gene expression and metabolic activity.During nutrient scarcity, intracellular amino acid levels decline. It results in the accumulation of uncharged tRNAs...
71
Cells Coordinate Growth and Proliferation02:36

Cells Coordinate Growth and Proliferation

4.6K
Cell size is a significant factor impacting cellular design, function, and fitness. There exists some internal coordination by which cells double their masses before division, thus, achieving homeostasis. Coordination between cell growth and proliferation depends on the checkpoints in between cell cycle phases. Loss of coordination or failure in the checkpoint mechanism can drive the cell to uncontrolled growth and loss of cellular function. Like dividing cells that coordinate cellular growth,...
4.6K
Global Regulatory Systems01:28

Global Regulatory Systems

106
Global regulatory systems in bacteria enable rapid and coordinated responses to environmental changes by integrating sensory inputs with gene expression, ensuring efficient adaptation to fluctuating conditions. Key global regulatory mechanisms include regulons, two-component systems, sigma factors, and secondary messengers.Regulons and Global RegulatorsA regulon is a collection of genes and operons controlled by a common global regulator. These regulators enable bacteria to prioritize resource...
106
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing01:28

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

120
Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
120
Bacterial Growth Curve01:28

Bacterial Growth Curve

847
The bacterial growth curve is a fundamental concept in microbiology that describes the dynamics of bacterial population growth in a closed system with controlled environmental conditions, such as temperature and nutrient availability. This curve is divided into four distinct phases: lag, log (exponential), stationary, and death phases, each reflecting a unique stage of bacterial adaptation and growth. During the lag phase, bacteria acclimate to their surroundings by synthesizing essential...
847
Microbial Growth Measurement: Indirect Methods01:27

Microbial Growth Measurement: Indirect Methods

438
Estimating microbial growth is essential for understanding population dynamics and environmental adaptations. Indirect methods provide valuable insights by measuring parameters such as turbidity, metabolic activity, and biomass, enabling efficient and reproducible assessments.During exponential growth, microbial cells scatter light proportionally to their biomass, a principle used in turbidity measurements. About one million cells per milliliter produce detectable scattering, which a...
438

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Post-translational negative feedback loops are sufficient to coordinate synthesis of the gram-negative envelope during steady-state growth.

mBio·2026
Same author

Modeling spatial synchronization of predator-prey oscillations via the XY model under demographic stochasticity and migration.

Physical review. E·2026
Same author

Small Molecule Activators of Protein Phosphatase 2A Exert Global Stabilizing Effects on the Scaffold PR65.

JACS Au·2026
Same author

Transcriptional competition biases the effects of second messengers in Escherichia coli.

Cell systems·2026
Same author

Calmodulin assists during co-translational folding of the K<sub>V</sub>7.2 channel calcium responsive domain.

Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society·2026
Same author

Cultural tightness and social cohesion under coevolving beliefs, behaviors, and preferences.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Hunting ecology predicts eye arrangements in the modular visual system of spiders.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Sub-second fluctuations between top-down and bottom-up modes distinguish diverse human brain states.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Queen bees offload pesticide burden to eggs when social buffering is overwhelmed.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Pitch selectivity in ferret auditory cortex.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

A cell size-dependent competition between geometry and polarity governs nuclear and spindle positioning in early embryos.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Trophic cascades drive sustainability in the agricultural heritage rice-fish coculture system.

Current biology : CB·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 7, 2025

Using Microtiter Dish Radiolabeling for Multiple In Vivo Measurements Of Escherichia coli pppGpp Followed by Thin Layer Chromatography
06:30

Using Microtiter Dish Radiolabeling for Multiple In Vivo Measurements Of Escherichia coli pppGpp Followed by Thin Layer Chromatography

Published on: June 4, 2019

6.2K

ppGpp is a bacterial cell size regulator.

Ferhat Büke1, Jacopo Grilli2, Marco Cosentino Lagomarsino3

  • 1Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands; AMOLF, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Current Biology : CB
|January 6, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Guano sine tetraphosphate (ppGpp) regulates bacterial cell size by controlling division and growth rate. Changes in ppGpp levels directly impact cell size, coordinating growth and division for size homeostasis.

Keywords:
Escherichia coliadder mechanismcell sizecell size homeostasisgrowth ratelineage tree analysismicrofluidicsmicroscopyppGppsingle cell analysis

More Related Videos

Identifying the Binding Proteins of Small Ligands with the Differential Radial Capillary Action of Ligand Assay DRaCALA
09:26

Identifying the Binding Proteins of Small Ligands with the Differential Radial Capillary Action of Ligand Assay DRaCALA

Published on: March 19, 2021

3.6K
A Purification and In Vitro Activity Assay for a pppGpp Synthetase from Clostridium difficile
09:53

A Purification and In Vitro Activity Assay for a pppGpp Synthetase from Clostridium difficile

Published on: November 3, 2018

8.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 7, 2025

Using Microtiter Dish Radiolabeling for Multiple In Vivo Measurements Of Escherichia coli pppGpp Followed by Thin Layer Chromatography
06:30

Using Microtiter Dish Radiolabeling for Multiple In Vivo Measurements Of Escherichia coli pppGpp Followed by Thin Layer Chromatography

Published on: June 4, 2019

6.2K
Identifying the Binding Proteins of Small Ligands with the Differential Radial Capillary Action of Ligand Assay DRaCALA
09:26

Identifying the Binding Proteins of Small Ligands with the Differential Radial Capillary Action of Ligand Assay DRaCALA

Published on: March 19, 2021

3.6K
A Purification and In Vitro Activity Assay for a pppGpp Synthetase from Clostridium difficile
09:53

A Purification and In Vitro Activity Assay for a pppGpp Synthetase from Clostridium difficile

Published on: November 3, 2018

8.6K

Area of Science:

  • Cellular biology
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular genetics

Background:

  • Bacteria maintain cell size homeostasis through the 'adder principle,' where division occurs after a constant size is added since birth.
  • Guano sine tetraphosphate (ppGpp) is a known regulator of bacterial growth, influencing ribosome production, metabolism, and DNA replication.
  • The precise relationship between ppGpp and cell size control mechanisms during normal growth remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of ppGpp in regulating bacterial cell size and division.
  • To differentiate the effects of ppGpp from nutrient availability on cell size homeostasis.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms by which ppGpp coordinates cell growth and division.

Main Methods:

  • Engineered bacteria to control cellular ppGpp levels by inducing synthesis (RelA) and hydrolysis (Mesh1) enzymes.
  • Monitored cell growth rate, division timing, and cell size under varying ppGpp concentrations.
  • Analyzed the correlation between ppGpp levels, added cell size, and steady-state birth size.

Main Results:

  • ppGpp directly influences not only growth rate but also cell division timing and steady-state cell size.
  • Changes in added cell size in response to ppGpp levels occurred before adjustments in growth rate, mediated by division alterations.
  • Steady-state birth size and added size correlated with ppGpp levels, independent of growth rate, leading to size variation in equally growing cells.

Conclusions:

  • ppGpp acts as a critical regulator coordinating bacterial cell size and growth control.
  • The adder principle's added size is directly modulated by ppGpp levels.
  • ppGpp provides a mechanism linking metabolic status to cell division and overall cell size.