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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 24: Poster B: Active Biological Matter, Cell Mechanics, Systems Biology, Computational Biophysics, etc.

BP 24.39: Poster

Tuesday, March 23, 2021, 16:00–18:30, BPp

Coupling of growth, replication and division in E. coli — •Mareike Berger — AMOLF, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Growth, DNA replication and division are key features of every living organism. The precise temporal control of these processes is essential for survival. We investigate how the model organism E. coli couples its replication to its division cycle under different growth conditions. According to the phenomenological general growth law, E. coli on average initiates replication at a constant volume per origin of replication and divides a constant time later. This simple mechanism allows E. coli to divide faster than it takes to replicate its DNA while maintaining cell size homeostasis. It is a longstanding open question how the general growth law is realized on a molecular level. We present a theoretical model that is based on experimentally observed molecular mechanisms and that can reproduce the phenomenological general growth law. This novel model allows us to make quantitative predictions on the regulation of replication in E. coli.