Cell Polarity-Driven Instability Generates Self-Organized, Fractal Patterning of Cell Layers

Rudge, Timothy J.; Federici, Fernan; Steiner, Paul J.; Kan, Anton; Haseloff, Jim

Abstract

As a model interactions in multicellular Escherichia coli cells, which coordination of growth. This system to study physical systems, we used layers of exhibit little or no intrinsic system effectively isolates the effects of cell shape, growth, and division on spatial self-organization. Tracking the development of fluorescence-labeled cellular domains, we observed the emergence of striking fractal patterns with jagged, self-similar shapes. We then used a large-scale, cellular biophysical model to show that local instabilities due to polar cell-shape, repeatedly propagated by uniaxial growth and division, are responsible for generating this fractal geometry. Confirming this result, a mutant of E. coli with spherical shape forms smooth, nonfractal cellular domains. These results demonstrate that even populations of relatively simple bacterial cells can possess emergent properties due to purely physical interactions. Therefore, accurate physico-genetic models of cell growth will be essential for the design and understanding of genetically programmed multicellular systems.

Más información

Título según WOS: Cell Polarity-Driven Instability Generates Self-Organized, Fractal Patterning of Cell Layers
Título de la Revista: ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
Volumen: 2
Número: 12
Editorial: AMER CHEMICAL SOC
Fecha de publicación: 2013
Página de inicio: 705
Página final: 714
Idioma: English
URL: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/sb400030p
DOI:

10.1021/sb400030p

Notas: ISI - ISI Co-first author