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- Title
Subdiffusion of loci and cytoplasmic particles are different in compressed Escherichia coli cells.
- Authors
Yu, Shi; Sheats, Julian; Cicuta, Pietro; Sclavi, Bianca; Cosentino Lagomarsino, Marco; Dorfman, Kevin D.
- Abstract
The complex physical nature of the bacterial intracellular environment remains largely unknown, and has relevance for key biochemical and biological processes of the cell. Although recent work has addressed the role of non-equilibrium sources of activity and crowding, the consequences of mechanical perturbations are relatively less explored. Here we use a microfabricated valve system to track both fluorescently labeled chromosomal loci and cytoplasmic particles in Escherichia coli cells shortly after applying a compressive force, observing the response on time scales that are too sudden to allow for biochemical response from the cell. Cytoplasmic diffusion slows markedly on compression but the exponent governing the growth of the ensemble-averaged mean-squared displacement of cytoplasmic particles is unaffected. In contrast, the corresponding exponent for DNA loci changes significantly. These results suggest that DNA elasticity and nucleoid organization play a more important role in loci subdiffusion than cytoplasmic viscoelasticity under such short time scales. Shi Yu et al. show that the dynamics of fluorescently labeled DNA loci and cytoplasmic particles in E. coli respond differently to mechanical compression of the cell. These results suggest DNA elasticity is more important for determining the diffusivity of DNA loci in response to mechanical force than is cytoplasmic viscoelasticity.
- Subjects
ESCHERICHIA coli; BACTERIAL cells; BACTERIAL loci; BIOCHEMISTRY; CYTOLOGY; CYTOPLASM
- Publication
Communications Biology, 2018, Vol 1, Issue 1, pN.PAG
- ISSN
2399-3642
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s42003-018-0185-5