title: Turing Patterning Using Gene Circuits with Gas-Induced Degradation of Quorum Sensing Molecules.
abstract: The Turing instability was proposed more than six decades ago as a mechanism leading to spatial patterning, but it has yet to be exploited in a synthetic biology setting. Here we characterize the Turing instability in a specific gene circuit that can be implemented in vitro or in populations of clonal cells producing short-range activator N-Acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) and long-range inhibitor hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) gas. Slowing the production rate of the AHL-degrading enzyme, AiiA, generates stable fixed states, limit cycle oscillations and Turing patterns. Further tuning of signaling parameters determines local robustness and controls the range of unstable wavenumbers in the patterning regime. These findings provide a roadmap for optimizing spatial patterns of gene expression based on familiar quorum and gas sensitive E. coli promoters. The circuit design and predictions may be useful for (re)programming spatial dynamics in synthetic and natural gene expression systems.
authors.affiliation: BioCircuits Institute, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037-0328, United States of America.|San Diego Center for Systems Biology, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037-0375, United States of America.
authors.forename: Bartłomiej
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0117-0354
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Borek
authors.affiliation: BioCircuits Institute, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037-0328, United States of America.|San Diego Center for Systems Biology, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037-0375, United States of America.|Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037-0412, United States of America.|Molecular Biology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037-0116, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hasty
authors.affiliation: BioCircuits Institute, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037-0328, United States of America.|San Diego Center for Systems Biology, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037-0375, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lev
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tsimring
mesh_terms: D054742:Acyl-Butyrolactones; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005740:Gases; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D054742:Acyl-Butyrolactones; D005740:Gases; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide