Mechanical slowing-down of cytoplasmic diffusion allows in vivo counting of proteins in individual cells
Citations Over TimeTop 10% of 2016 papers
Abstract
Many key regulatory proteins in bacteria are present in too low numbers to be detected with conventional methods, which poses a particular challenge for single-cell analyses because such proteins can contribute greatly to phenotypic heterogeneity. Here we develop a microfluidics-based platform that enables single-molecule counting of low-abundance proteins by mechanically slowing-down their diffusion within the cytoplasm of live Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells. Our technique also allows for automated microscopy at high throughput with minimal perturbation to native physiology, as well as viable enrichment/retrieval. We illustrate the method by analysing the control of the master regulator of the E. coli stress response, RpoS, by its adapter protein, SprE (RssB). Quantification of SprE numbers shows that though SprE is necessary for RpoS degradation, it is expressed at levels as low as 3-4 molecules per average cell cycle, and fluctuations in SprE are approximately Poisson distributed during exponential phase with no sign of bursting.
Related Papers
- → The RpoS-Mediated General Stress Response inEscherichia coli(2010)920 cited
- → Genome-Wide Transcriptional Response to Varying RpoS Levels in Escherichia coli K-12(2017)96 cited
- → RpoS-dependent stress tolerance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa(1999)139 cited
- → The genome-wide transcriptional response to varying RpoS levels in Escherichia coli K-12(2016)3 cited
- → Regulation of RpoS, the Stationary Phase Sigma Factor, by RbsD(2020)