Tracking operator state fluctuations in gene expression in single cells

Biophys J. 2004 May;86(5):3052-9. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(04)74354-4.

Abstract

We report the results of operator state fluctuations in gene expression for the entire bacterial growth cycle, using single-cell analysis and synthetic unregulated and negative-feedback transcription regulatory gene circuits. In the unregulated circuit, during the cell cycle, we observe a crossover from log-normal-to-normal distribution of expressed proteins and an unusual linear dependence of their standard deviation on the mean gene expression levels. With negative-feedback circuits we find the existence of bimodality as the cell cycle progresses. We suggest that such long-tail and bimodal distributions may be used as selection mechanisms in developmental switches and for assigning cell identity.

MeSH terms

  • Anisotropy
  • Bacteria / metabolism*
  • Bacterial Physiological Phenomena*
  • Biophysics / methods*
  • Cell Cycle
  • Cell Division
  • Cells, Cultured
  • DNA / metabolism
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Genes, Regulator
  • Genes, Reporter
  • Kinetics
  • Models, Biological
  • Models, Genetic
  • Protein Binding
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Repressor Proteins
  • Time Factors
  • Transcription, Genetic

Substances

  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Repressor Proteins
  • DNA