Abstract
To investigate the non-genetic variability of the division cycle and growth of single cells, we compared pairs of Escherichia coli daughter cells' growth and division time under isolated conditions using a newly developed on-chip culture system. The advantages of the system are: (i) continuous cultivation of isolated single cells or a group of cells in μm-sized micro-cages under isolated contamination-free and exchangeable medium conditions, and (ii) continuous observation and comparison of those floating daughter cells at a spatial resolution of 0.2 μm by phase-contrast/fluorescence microscopy and digital image processing. Using this system, cell growth and division time of daughter cells from an isolated mother cell were measured. A broad distribution of the cell division time and the division time differences of two daughter cells from the same mother cells were found. They are not attributable to a difference in DNA. The same tendency of broad distribution of the division time and the division time differences suggests the involvement of a probabilistic process to start the division.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 145-150 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the Japan Academy Series B: Physical and Biological Sciences |
| Volume | 77 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2001 Oct |
Keywords
- Cell division time
- Cell growth speed
- Competition of sister cells
- Escherichia coli
- Non-genetic variability
- On-chip culture system
- Single-cell culture
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Physics and Astronomy(all)