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Genetics, Bioinformatics & Computational Biology (GBCB) Seminar
(Seminar/Conference)
Speaker: Shenghua Li, GBCB PhD candidate at VT
Title: Quantitative Modeling of Asymmetric Cell Division Cycle in Caulobacter crescentus.
Abstract: Caulobacter crescentus is an important model for study of the regulation of the cell division cycle and cellular differentiation. Caulobacter undergoes asymmetric division producing two progeny cells with identical genome but different developmental programs: the "swarmer" cell that has a flagellum for swimming and the "stalked" cell which is used to attach to a surface. Chromosome replication and cell division only occurs in the stalked Caulobacter cells. Swarmer cells must shad the flagellum and grow the stalk before they can go into the cycle. Recently we have advised, based on experimental evidences, the molecular mechanism for cell cycle control in this bacterium. The based on the conjectured bistable switch mechanism was caste in a quantitative model revealing temporal dynamics of the genes and proteins regulating the cell cycle in Caulobacter wild type cells as well as in several mutants. Here we extend out model to include the swarmer cell phase. From the available experimental data we identify important regulators coordinated action of which prepares the swarmer cell for the entrance into the division cycle. We construct a corresponding molecular mechanism and implement it into a quantitative scheme which is integrated with the stalked cell division cycle model. Our model presents a bird eye’s view of the temporal and spatial regulations of asymmetric cell division cycle in Caulobacter. It helps to interpret phenotypes of known mutants and predict novel ones. The model can serves as a starting point for the investigations of cell cycle in other species of alpha-proteobacteria family, such as Brucella, Rhizobium, etc, because recent experimental data show that these species might share similar molecular mechanism for the cell cycle control.
Public welcome, please come! Refreshments 3:15-3:50 pm,
seminar starts promptly at 4pm.
More information...
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540-231-1928