Role of RNA Polymerase in Bacterial Differention

描述(申请人提供)：这项研究的目标是以枯草芽孢杆菌中生长细胞转化为多曼孢子为模型系统，阐明控制细胞分化的机制。孢子形成是一个不对称分裂的过程，发育中的细胞分裂成大、小、大三个子代细胞，这些子代细胞通过细胞内信号转导途径相互通信。传统的研究孢子形成的方法强调在单细胞水平上工作的机制。但最近的研究还揭示了准备形成孢子的细胞之间的拮抗和合作作用。事实上，这项研究的一个主要主题是，细胞培养是一种混合物，其中单个细胞指向不同的命运，表达不同的基因集。这一提议通过提出两个定义明确的问题来解决我们知识中的重要空白，到目前为止，这两个问题的答案只有一部分人知道：(I)调控电路和形态发生事件如何导致细胞转化为孢子？(2)在多细胞群落的背景下如何发生孢子形成？

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this research is to elucidate the mechanisms that govern cellular differentiation using as a model system the transformation of a growing cell into a dorman spore in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Sporulation involves a process of asymmetric division in which the developing cell is divided into large small and large progeny cells that communicate with each other through pathways of intracellular signal transduction. Traditional approaches to investigating sporulation have emphasized mechanisms operating at the level of solitary cells. But recent research additionally reveals antagonistic and cooperative interactions between cells poised to sporulate. Indeed, a major theme of this research is that a cell culture is a mixture in which individual cells are directed toward different fates and express different sets of genes. This proposal addresses important gaps in our knowledge by asking two well-defined questions whose answers are, thus far, only partially known: (I) how do regulatory circuits and morphogenetic events result in the conversion of a cell into a spore? (II) How does sporulation occur in the context of a multicellular community?