Mark Siegal
New York University,
Department of Biology,
Center for Genomics and Systems Biology
Abstract: Genetically identical cells growing in the same environment often display striking cell-to-cell heterogeneity in gene expression and other traits. Such heterogeneity is clinically important, as it is seen in microbial responses to antibiotics and in tumor cells. Nonetheless, molecular mechanisms that promote or suppress heterogeneity are poorly understood, particularly in eukaryotic organisms. We use the model eukaryote and opportunistic pathogen Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) to study these mechanisms. I will present our work using high-throughput morphometric analysis of individual yeast cells to identify genes controlling the amount of variation in cell shape. I will also present our work on a form of evolutionarily adaptive heterogeneity in yeast. We developed a highly parallel, time-lapse microscopy assay to monitor variable protein expression, growth rate and survival outcomes of tens of thousands of yeast microcolonies simultaneously. Genetically identical cells display high variation in growth rate, and slow growth correlates with higher expression of stress-protective gene products and with higher tolerance of acute heat stress. Thus, heterogeneity can serve as a bet-hedging mechanism against environmental uncertainty. I will present our work to dissect the molecular mechanism of bet hedging and to map natural variation in growth strategies across yeast strains.
Friday, April 29, 2016
12:00 PM
RRI 101
Host: Ian Ehrenreich
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