Controlling spatiotemporal pattern formation in a concentration gradient with a synthetic toggle switch.

ABSTRACT: The formation of spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression is frequently guided by gradients of diffusible signaling molecules. The toggle switch subnetwork, composed of two cross-repressing transcription factors, is a common component of gene regulatory networks in charge of patterning, converting the continuous information provided by the gradient into discrete abutting stripes of gene expression. We present a synthetic biology framework to understand and characterize the spatiotemporal patterning properties of the toggle switch. To this end, we built a synthetic toggle switch controllable by diffusible molecules in Escherichia coli. We analyzed the patterning capabilities of the circuit by combining quantitative measurements with a mathematical reconstruction of the underlying dynamica

SUBMITTER: Barbier I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7290156 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature