Role of RNA Polymerase in Bacterial Differention

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究的目的是阐明控制细胞分化的机制，使用枯草芽孢杆菌中生长细胞转化为多尔曼孢子作为模型系统。孢子形成涉及不对称分裂的过程，其中发育中的细胞被分成大的、小的和大的子代细胞，这些子代细胞通过细胞内信号转导途径彼此通信。传统的方法来调查孢子形成强调机制的水平上的孤细胞。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相互作用。事实上，这项研究的一个主要主题是，细胞培养物是一种混合物，其中单个细胞被导向不同的命运并表达不同的基因组。这一建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，这些问题的答案只是部分已知的：（I）调节回路和形态发生事件如何导致细胞转化为孢子？(II)在多细胞群落中孢子形成是如何发生的？

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?