A Mechanistic Model of the Regulation of Division Timing by the Circadian Clock in Cyanobacteria.

ABSTRACT: The cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus possesses a circadian clock in the form of a group of proteins whose concentrations and phosphorylation states oscillate with daily periodicity under constant conditions. The circadian clock regulates the cell cycle such that the timing of the cell divisions is biased toward certain times during the circadian period, but the mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unclear. Here, we propose a mechanism in which a protein limiting for division accumulates at a rate proportional to the cell volume growth and is modulated by the clock. This "modulated rate" model, in which the clock signal is integrated over time to affect division timing, differs fundamentally from the previously proposed "gating" concept, in which the clock is assumed to suppre

SUBMITTER: Ho PY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7300344 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature