Division Control in Escherichia coli is Based on a Size-sensing rather than Timing Mechanism
Marie Doumic-Jauffret (INRIA Rocquencourt)
Models describing the growth of cell populations have been developed based on assumptions on the stochastic mechanisms underlying growth and division at the single cell level. In particular, two different models have been widely used for decades, assuming that cell division probability depends respectively on cell age (the renewal equation) or cell size (the size-structured or growth-fragmentation equation) – or both.
We confront these models with data on E. coli single cells growth, and develop a new estimation methodology, based on nonparametric functional testing within the PDE models, in order to test the hypothesis of an age-dependent versus size-dependent division rate. We conclude that in E. Coli, the division is controlled by a size-sensing rather than timing mechanism.
This is a joint work with L. Robert and M. Hoffmann.