Measurement of the copy number of the master quorum-sensing regulator of a bacterial cell.

TitleMeasurement of the copy number of the master quorum-sensing regulator of a bacterial cell.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2010
AuthorsTeng, S-W, Wang, Y, Tu, KC, Long, T, Mehta, P, Wingreen, NS, Bassler, BL, Ong, NP
JournalBiophys J
Volume98
Issue9
Pagination2024-31
Date Published2010 May 19
ISSN1542-0086
KeywordsGene Dosage, Microscopy, Fluorescence, Quorum Sensing, Repressor Proteins, Time Factors, Trans-Activators, Vibrio
Abstract

<p>Quorum-sensing is the mechanism by which bacteria communicate and synchronize group behaviors. Quantitative information on parameters such as the copy number of particular quorum-sensing proteins should contribute strongly to understanding how the quorum-sensing network functions. Here, we show that the copy number of the master regulator protein LuxR in Vibrio harveyi can be determined in vivo by exploiting small-number fluctuations of the protein distribution when cells undergo division. When a cell divides, both its volume and LuxR protein copy number, N, are partitioned with slight asymmetries. We measured the distribution functions describing the partitioning of the protein fluorescence and the cell volume. The fluorescence distribution is found to narrow systematically as the LuxR population increases, whereas the volume partitioning is unchanged. Analyzing these changes statistically, we determined that N = 80-135 dimers at low cell density and 575 dimers at high cell density. In addition, we measured the static distribution of LuxR over a large (3000) clonal population. Combining the static and time-lapse experiments, we determine the magnitude of the Fano factor of the distribution. This technique has broad applicability as a general in vivo technique for measuring protein copy number and burst size.</p>

DOI10.1016/j.bpj.2010.01.031
Alternate JournalBiophys J
PubMed ID20441767
PubMed Central IDPMC2862190
Grant ListR01 GM065859 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
P50GM071508 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
5R01AI054442 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
/ HHMI / Howard Hughes Medical Institute / United States
K25 GM086909-02 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
R01 AI054442 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
K25 GM086909 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
R01 GM065859-08 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
5R01GM065859 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
P50 GM071508 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
R01 GM082938 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States