Quantifying the benefit of a proteome reserve in fluctuating environments.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29089487.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-017-01242-8 and PMC identifier 5663898.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The overexpression of proteins is a major burden for fast-growing bacteria. Paradoxically, recent characterization of the proteome of Escherichia coli found many proteins expressed in excess of what appears to be optimal for exponential growth. Here, we quantitatively investigate the possibility that this overexpression constitutes a strategic reserve kept by starving cells to quickly meet demand upon sudden improvement in growth conditions. For cells exposed to repeated famine-and-feast cycles, we derive a simple relation between the duration of feast and the allocation of the ribosomal protein reserve to maximize the overall gain in biomass during the feast.
Medical subject headings
- Environment
- Proteome