Construction and phenotypic classification of synthetic dual-pole Escherichia coli cells
Abstract Macromolecular complexes anchored at one cell pole have previously been utilized to achieve synthetic asymmetric cell division in Escherichia coli. In nature, however, robust asymmetric cell division often relies on gradients established between two opposing poles. Here, we present a second...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Communications Biology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08495-w |
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| _version_ | 1849234552939085824 |
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| author | Tsung-Wei Chou Ing-Jen Huang Ya-Chu Hsu Szu-Hua Wu Jui-Chung Hong Yu-Hao Ko Ting-Ran Su Jie-Hong Roland Jiang Hsiao-Chun Huang |
| author_facet | Tsung-Wei Chou Ing-Jen Huang Ya-Chu Hsu Szu-Hua Wu Jui-Chung Hong Yu-Hao Ko Ting-Ran Su Jie-Hong Roland Jiang Hsiao-Chun Huang |
| author_sort | Tsung-Wei Chou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Macromolecular complexes anchored at one cell pole have previously been utilized to achieve synthetic asymmetric cell division in Escherichia coli. In nature, however, robust asymmetric cell division often relies on gradients established between two opposing poles. Here, we present a second-generation synthetic genetic circuit that enables two distinct scaffolding proteins to localize at opposite poles in E. coli. By engineering a PodJ fragment as the second scaffold and integrating SpmX, a negative regulator of PodJ condensation, as a direct chimera with PopZ, we effectively confined PopZ and PodJ to opposite poles within E. coli. Additionally, we developed a neural network-based classification method to identify these synthetic dual-pole cells, further advancing the synthetic biology toolkit for programmable cell differentiation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-563b1ce1dc944a209d705fb576a48b7a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2399-3642 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-563b1ce1dc944a209d705fb576a48b7a2025-08-20T04:03:07ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422025-07-018111110.1038/s42003-025-08495-wConstruction and phenotypic classification of synthetic dual-pole Escherichia coli cellsTsung-Wei Chou0Ing-Jen Huang1Ya-Chu Hsu2Szu-Hua Wu3Jui-Chung Hong4Yu-Hao Ko5Ting-Ran Su6Jie-Hong Roland Jiang7Hsiao-Chun Huang8Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Taiwan UniversityInstitute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Taiwan UniversityInstitute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Taiwan UniversityInstitute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Taiwan UniversityInstitute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Taiwan UniversityGraduate Institute of Electronics Engineering, National Taiwan UniversityInstitute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Taiwan UniversityGraduate Institute of Electronics Engineering, National Taiwan UniversityInstitute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Taiwan UniversityAbstract Macromolecular complexes anchored at one cell pole have previously been utilized to achieve synthetic asymmetric cell division in Escherichia coli. In nature, however, robust asymmetric cell division often relies on gradients established between two opposing poles. Here, we present a second-generation synthetic genetic circuit that enables two distinct scaffolding proteins to localize at opposite poles in E. coli. By engineering a PodJ fragment as the second scaffold and integrating SpmX, a negative regulator of PodJ condensation, as a direct chimera with PopZ, we effectively confined PopZ and PodJ to opposite poles within E. coli. Additionally, we developed a neural network-based classification method to identify these synthetic dual-pole cells, further advancing the synthetic biology toolkit for programmable cell differentiation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08495-w |
| spellingShingle | Tsung-Wei Chou Ing-Jen Huang Ya-Chu Hsu Szu-Hua Wu Jui-Chung Hong Yu-Hao Ko Ting-Ran Su Jie-Hong Roland Jiang Hsiao-Chun Huang Construction and phenotypic classification of synthetic dual-pole Escherichia coli cells Communications Biology |
| title | Construction and phenotypic classification of synthetic dual-pole Escherichia coli cells |
| title_full | Construction and phenotypic classification of synthetic dual-pole Escherichia coli cells |
| title_fullStr | Construction and phenotypic classification of synthetic dual-pole Escherichia coli cells |
| title_full_unstemmed | Construction and phenotypic classification of synthetic dual-pole Escherichia coli cells |
| title_short | Construction and phenotypic classification of synthetic dual-pole Escherichia coli cells |
| title_sort | construction and phenotypic classification of synthetic dual pole escherichia coli cells |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08495-w |
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