2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Visualization of metabolic dynamics during pattern formation in bacteria
| Project/Area Number |
16K07333
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Cell biology
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| Research Institution | Tohoku University |
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Principal Investigator |
Robert Martin 東北大学, 高度教養教育・学生支援機構, 准教授 (90365487)
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| Research Collaborator |
SHOJI Wataru
SAIGUSA Daisuke
ISOBE Hiroyuki
MORI Hirotada
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| Project Period (FY) |
2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
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| Keywords | gene expression / bacterial colony / biofilm / division of labor / time-lapse fluorescence / differentiation / pattern formation / metabolic activity |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
We studied pattern formation and the dynamics of gene expression in the bacterium E. coli growing into large colony and biofilm structures on solid media. We tested various environmental conditions leading to different patterns and then investigated the spatio-temporal distribution of gene expression within those structures using fluorescent protein reporters.
Our results show that E. coli can form various types of structures depending on agar hardness and nutritional conditions. The resulting colonies develop complex wrinkle and ring structures in which the profiles of gene expression vary and can result in preferential expression in ring-like structures near the center or periphery of the colony or within wrinkles. Our work thus reveals the complexity of spatio-temporal organization in colonies and suggests that bacterial cells that are otherwise genetically identical can display division of labor leading to different physiological properties within large collectives.
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| Free Research Field |
生化学、微生物学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
Understanding bacterial colonies and biofilms is important as they represent communities as they occur in nature and in host organisms and are a major challenge for drug resistance some industrial processes. Our results reveal the emergent complexity of gene expression within these structures.
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