RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Cell size control driven by the circadian clock and environment in cyanobacteria
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 183558
DO 10.1101/183558
A1 Bruno M. C. Martins
A1 Amy K. Tooke
A1 Philipp Thomas
A1 James C. W. Locke
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/11/20/183558.abstract
AB How cells maintain their size has been extensively studied under constant conditions. In the wild, however, cells rarely experience constant environments. Here, we examine how the 24-hour circadian clock and environmental cycles modulate cell size control and division timings in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus using single-cell time-lapse microscopy. Under constant light, wild type cells follow an apparent sizer-like principle. Closer inspection reveals that the clock generates two subpopulations, with cells born in the subjective day following different division rules from cells born in subjective night. A stochastic model explains how this behaviour emerges from the interaction of cell size control with the clock. We demonstrate that the clock continuously modulates the probability of cell division throughout day and night, rather than solely applying an on-off gate to division as previously proposed. Iterating between modelling and experiments, we go on to show that the combined effects of the environment and the clock on cell division are explained by an effective coupling function. Under naturally graded light-dark cycles, this coupling shifts cell division away from dusk and dawn, when light levels are low and cell growth is reduced. Our analysis allows us to disentangle, and predict the effects of, the complex interactions between the environment, clock, and cell size control.