The Clore Center for Biological Physics
Non-genetic memory and restraint of cell-to-cell variability in bacteria
LUNCH AT 12:45
Non-genetic variability in physical and functional properties of living cells is generated by cell proliferation, which suggests that properties are unreliably inherited between consecutive generations. But what is the extent of unreliability of inheritance? Do cellular properties have short, or long-term memory? Answering these questions enables us to uncover the sources that contribute to generating variability among genetically identical cells. It also allows us to develop an accurate description of how the properties of cells change over time. In this talk I will present our newly developed method that allows measuring and characterizing non-genetic inheritance (or cellular memory) in the model organism E. coli. The method utilizes a novel microfluidic device, coined “sisters machine”, that enables us to track and measure how two sister cells become different from each other over time. Our measurements quantify the contribution of cellular and environmental factors to cell variability, and reveal how non-genetic inheritance contributes to regulating the various cellular properties (e.g. size, growth rate, etc.) in future generations. We find that non-genetic cellular memory is property specific, and can last up to ∼10 generations, but decreases under stress.
FOR THE LATEST UPDATES AND CONTENT ON SOFT MATTER AND BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS AT THE WEIZMANN, VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.bio