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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 41: Franco-German Session: Bacterial Biophysics II

BP 41.3: Vortrag

Freitag, 13. März 2026, 12:15–12:30, BAR/0205

Biophysics of bacterial survival during starvation — •Severin Schink — LMU München, Fakultät für Biologie

Most bacteria live in nutrient-limited states, yet the physical principles that set their lifespan and govern loss of viability during starvation remain poorly understood. I present a framework that links death dynamics, proteome adaptation and competition under starvation in E. coli.

Using time-lapse microscopy, we show that starving cells maintain a plasmolysed state and typically die via a rapid collapse of ion homeostasis. A coarse-grained model of ion transport maps death to a Kramers-like escape process set by nutrient recycling. The model predicts how death rates scale with permeability, ionic strength and cell geometry, and how modified media extend lifespan by lowering maintenance costs.

Proteome-wide analysis reveals that envelope proteins are key for survival: reallocating proteome into the envelope lowers ion permeability and death rate but constrains growth, generating a trade-off between proliferation and starvation survival. Co-cultures of physiologically distinct populations reveal cross-feed feedback: nutrients released by dying cells are recaptured by survivors, amplifying small differences in maintenance and uptake into large fitness advantages. Together, these results identify a minimal set of physical parameters ion gradients, permeability, recycling yield and uptake capacity that control lifespan and selection under starvation.

Keywords: Bacterial starvation; Ion homeostasis; Proteome adaptation; Membrane permeability; Cross-feeding