title: Interdependence of cell growth and gene expression: origins and consequences.
abstract: In bacteria, the rate of cell proliferation and the level of gene expression are intimately intertwined. Elucidating these relations is important both for understanding the physiological functions of endogenous genetic circuits and for designing robust synthetic systems. We describe a phenomenological study that reveals intrinsic constraints governing the allocation of resources toward protein synthesis and other aspects of cell growth. A theory incorporating these constraints can accurately predict how cell proliferation and gene expression affect one another, quantitatively accounting for the effect of translation-inhibiting antibiotics on gene expression and the effect of gratuitous protein expression on cell growth. The use of such empirical relations, analogous to phenomenological laws, may facilitate our understanding and manipulation of complex biological systems before underlying regulatory circuits are elucidated.
authors.affiliation: Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Carl W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Gunderson
authors.forename: Eduard M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mateescu
authors.forename: Zhongge
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Terence
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hwa
mesh_terms: D049109:Cell Proliferation; D048168:Escherichia coli K12 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D012329:RNA, Bacterial