Temporal Controls of the Asymmetric Cell Division Cycle in Caulobacter crescentus

TR Number
Date
2009-08-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PLOS
Abstract

The asymmetric cell division cycle of Caulobacter crescentus is orchestrated by an elaborate gene-protein regulatory network, centered on three major control proteins, DnaA, GcrA and CtrA. The regulatory network is cast into a quantitative computational model to investigate in a systematic fashion how these three proteins control the relevant genetic, biochemical and physiological properties of proliferating bacteria. Different controls for both swarmer and stalked cell cycles are represented in the mathematical scheme. The model is validated against observed phenotypes of wild-type cells and relevant mutants, and it predicts the phenotypes of novel mutants and of known mutants under novel experimental conditions. Because the cell cycle control proteins of Caulobacter are conserved across many species of alphaproteobacteria, the model we are proposing here may be applicable to other genera of importance to agriculture and medicine (e.g., Rhizobium, Brucella).

Description
Keywords
Biochemical Research Methods, Mathematical & Computational Biology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, DEPENDENT POLAR LOCALIZATION, SIGNAL-TRANSDUCTION PROTEIN, XENOPUS-OOCYTE EXTRACTS, M-PHASE CONTROL, DNA-REPLICATION, ESCHERICHIA-COLI, CHROMOSOME-REPLICATION, HISTIDINE KINASE, PARTITIONING PROTEINS, ORGANELLE DEVELOPMENT
Citation