isopropyl-thiogalactoside and homoserine-lactone

We study both

Topics: 4-Butyrolactone; Cell Communication; Computer Simulation; Escherichia coli; Feedback, Physiological; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Gene Regulatory Networks; Green Fluorescent Proteins; Isopropyl Thiogalactoside; Kinetics; Microfluidics; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Models, Biological

Using an active approach to preventing biofilm formation, we implemented a microfluidic bioreactor that enables long-term culture and monitoring of extremely small populations of bacteria with single-cell resolution. We used this device to observe the dynamics of Escherichia coli carrying a synthetic "population control" circuit that regulates cell density through a feedback mechanism based on quorum sensing. The microfluidic bioreactor enabled long-term monitoring of unnatural behavior programmed by the synthetic circuit, which included sustained oscillations in cell density and associated morphological changes, over hundreds of hours.

Topics: 4-Butyrolactone; Bacteriological Techniques; Biofilms; Bioreactors; Colony Count, Microbial; Computer Simulation; Culture Media; Escherichia coli; Feedback, Physiological; Genes, Bacterial; Isopropyl Thiogalactoside; Mathematics; Microfluidics; Models, Biological; Mutation; Time Factors