title: Hard-Wired Control of Bacterial Processes by Chromosomal Gene Location.
abstract: Bacterial processes, such as stress responses and cell differentiation, are controlled at many different levels. While some factors, such as transcriptional regulation, are well appreciated, the importance of chromosomal gene location is often underestimated or even completely neglected. A combination of environmental parameters and the chromosomal location of a gene determine how many copies of its DNA are present at a given time during the cell cycle. Here, we review bacterial processes that rely, completely or partially, on the chromosomal location of involved genes and their fluctuating copy numbers. Special attention will be given to the several different ways in which these copy-number fluctuations can be used for bacterial cell fate determination or coordination of interdependent processes in a bacterial cell.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Genetics Group, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Centre for Synthetic Biology, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Slager
authors.affiliation: Molecular Genetics Group, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Centre for Synthetic Biology, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: j.w.veening@rug.nl.
authors.forename: Jan-Willem
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Veening
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena / Q000235:genetics; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000235:genetics*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D018628:Gene Dosage; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Bacillus subtilis; DNA replication; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Vibrio cholerae; cell fate determination; chromosome organization; gene dosage; stress response