Department of Biochemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China.
Science. 2011 Oct 14;334(6053):238-41. doi: 10.1126/science.1209042.
Periodic stripe patterns are ubiquitous in living organisms, yet the underlying developmental processes are complex and difficult to disentangle. We describe a synthetic genetic circuit that couples cell density and motility. This system enabled programmed Escherichia coli cells to form periodic stripes of high and low cell densities sequentially and autonomously. Theoretical and experimental analyses reveal that the spatial structure arises from a recurrent aggregation process at the front of the continuously expanding cell population. The number of stripes formed could be tuned by modulating the basal expression of a single gene. The results establish motility control as a simple route to establishing recurrent structures without requiring an extrinsic pacemaker.
周期性条纹图案在生物中无处不在，但潜在的发育过程却很复杂，难以理清。我们描述了一种合成遗传电路，它可以连接细胞密度和运动性。该系统使编程的大肠杆菌细胞能够自主地、顺序地形成高密度和低密度细胞的周期性条纹。理论和实验分析表明，空间结构源于连续扩展的细胞群体前沿的反复聚集过程。通过调节单个基因的基础表达，可以调节形成的条纹数量。结果表明，运动控制是建立无需外部起搏器的周期性结构的一种简单途径。
