Abstract
We investigate the intergenerational shape dynamics of single Caulobacter crescentus cells using a novel combination of imaging techniques and theoretical modeling. We determine the dynamics of cell pole-to-pole lengths, cross-sectional widths, and medial curvatures from high accuracy measurements of cell contours. Moreover, these shape parameters are determined for over 250 cells across approximately 10000 total generations, which affords high statistical precision. Our data and model show that constriction is initiated early in the cell cycle and that its dynamics are controlled by the time scale of exponential longitudinal growth. Based on our extensive and detailed growth and contour data, we develop a minimal mechanical model that quantitatively accounts for the cell shape dynamics and suggests that the asymmetric location of the division plane reflects the distinct mechanical properties of the stalked and swarmer poles. Furthermore, we find that the asymmetry in the division plane location is inherited from the previous generation. We interpret these results in terms of the current molecular understanding of shape, growth, and division of C. crescentus.
Highlights
We investigate the intergenerational shape dynamics of single Caulobacter crescentus cells using a novel combination of imaging techniques and theoretical modeling
We determine the dynamics of cell pole-to-pole lengths, cross-sectional widths, and medial curvatures from high accuracy measurements of cell contours
Based on our extensive and detailed growth and contour data, we develop a minimal mechanical model that quantitatively accounts for the cell shape dynamics and suggests that the asymmetric location of the division plane reflects the distinct mechanical properties of the stalked and swarmer poles
Summary
We investigate the intergenerational shape dynamics of single Caulobacter crescentus cells using a novel combination of imaging techniques and theoretical modeling. We find that the asymmetry in the division plane location is inherited from the previous generation We interpret these results in terms of the current molecular understanding of shape, growth, and division of C. crescentus. A common limitation of most devices is that the environmental conditions change throughout the course of the experiment, as geometric growth of the population results in crowding of the experimental imaging spaces We previously addressed this issue by engineering a C. crescentus strain in which cell adhesion is switched on and off by a small molecule (and inducible promoter)[19], allowing measurements to be made in a simple microfluidic device[19,20,21,22]. We relate our results to the known dynamics of contributing molecular factors and existing models for bacterial growth and division
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