ArticleNature chemical biology2019
Inducible asymmetric cell division and cell differentiation in a bacterium.
Article in Nature chemical biology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Engineered E. coli swarming for binary and analog input recording.Molecular systems biology · 2026Article
- Synthetic circuits for cell ratio control.Nature · 2026Article
- Engineering non-exponential proliferation in Escherichia coli using functionalized protein aggregates.Nature communications · 2026Article
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- Risk assessment of plant-to-bacterium transgene flow associated with novel small synthetic genome (minisynplastome) platforms for plastid genetic engineering.FEMS microbiology ecology · 2026Article
- Programmable cell differentiation in budding yeast uncouples reproductive and metabolic tasks.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Construction and phenotypic classification of synthetic dual-pole Escherichia coli cells.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Harnessing microbial heterogeneity for improved biosynthesis fueled by synthetic biology.Synthetic and systems biotechnology · 2025Review
- Light-dependent modulation of protein localization and function in living bacteria cells.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Tunable cell differentiation via reprogrammed mating-type switching.Nature communications · 2024Article
- You're in then you're out.Nature chemical biology · 2023Article
- Light-regulated gene expression in Bacteria: Fundamentals, advances, and perspectives.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2022Review
- The Red Edge: Bilin-Binding Photoreceptors as Optogenetic Tools and Fluorescence Reporters.Chemical reviews · 2021Review
- Construction of intracellular asymmetry and asymmetric division in Escherichia coli.Nature communications · 2021Article
- Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation: Unraveling the Enigma of Biomolecular Condensates in Microbial Cells.Frontiers in microbiology · 2021Review
- Mathematical modeling of population structure in bioreactors seeded with light-controllable microbial stem cells.Mathematical biosciences and engineering : MBE · 2020Article
- Functional roles of microbial cell-to-cell heterogeneity and emerging technologies for analysis and control.Current opinion in microbiology · 2020Review
- Proceedings of the 7th ACM International Conference on Nanoscale Computing and Communication : Virtual Conference, September 23-25, 2020 : NanoCom 2020. ACM International Conference on Nanoscale Computing and Communication (7th : 2020 :... · 2020Article
- Controlling gene expression with light: a multidisciplinary endeavour.Biochemical Society transactions · 2020Review
- Tracking the homeostasis of second messenger cyclic-di-GMP in bacteria.Biophysical reviews · 2020Review
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Multicellular organisms achieve greater complexity through cell divisions that generate different cell types. We engineered a simple genetic circuit that induces asymmetric cell division and subsequent cell differentiation in Escherichia coli. The circuit involves a scaffolding protein, PopZ, that is stably maintained at a single cell pole over multiple asymmetric cell divisions. PopZ was functionalized to degrade the signaling molecule, c-di-GMP. By regulating synthesis of functionalized PopZ via small molecules or light, we can chemically or optogenetically control the relative abundance of two distinct cell types, characterized by either low or high c-di-GMP levels. Differences in c-di-GMP levels can be transformed into genetically programmable differences in protein complex assembly or gene expression, which in turn produce differential behavior or biosynthetic activities. This study shows emergence of complex biological phenomena from a simple genetic circuit and adds programmable bacterial cell differentiation to the genetic toolbox of synthetic biology and biotechnology.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.