Predicting when bacteria first divide

What is it about?

This study examined how bacterial cells ‘decide’ to first divide. Surprisingly, the decision stemmed from a single protein reaching a critical amount. For the first time, the bacterial division could be quantitatively predicted from molecular, nutrient, and environmental information.

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Why is it important?

Quantitative principles have accelerated engineering and knowledge generation in many fields. For example, in order to build circuits, one can leverage abstracted equations such as Ohm's and Kirchhoff's Laws. A circuit designer is spared from having to know all the details of how the electrons move through the semiconductor material - she simply can leverage a few equations to create a sophisticated device. Likewise, systems biologists seek such abstracted, quantitative principles in biology. Such principles simplify and entrain the knowledge generation around a specific system, in this case, bacterial cell division. This study introduces an equation for when bacteria cells divide. The equation depends on the synthesis and degradation of the protein FtsZ. When FtsZ is synthesized to a specific threshold, division commences. All the while, FtsZ is degraded by the cell. Therefore, FtsZ synthesis must occur fast enough; otherwise, the cell never divides!

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