Bacillus subtilis Histidine Kinase KinC Activates Biofilm Formation by Controlling Heterogeneity of Single-Cell Responses
Zhuo Chen, Priyanka Srivastava, Brenda Zarazúa‐Osorio, Anuradha Marathe, Masaya Fujita, Oleg A. Igoshin
Abstract
In many bacterial and eukaryotic systems, multiple cell fate decisions are activated by a single master regulator. Typically, the activities of the regulators are controlled posttranslationally in response to different environmental stimuli. The mechanisms underlying the ability of these regulators to control multiple outcomes are not understood in many systems. By investigating the regulation of Bacillus subtilis master regulator Spo0A, we show that sensor kinases can use a novel mechanism to control cell fate decisions. By acting as a phosphate source or sink, kinases can interact with one another and provide accurate regulation of the phosphorylation level. Moreover, this mechanism affects the cell-to-cell heterogeneity of the transcription factor activity and eventually determines the fraction of different cell types in the population. These results demonstrate the importance of intercellular heterogeneity for understanding the effects of genetic perturbations on cell fate decisions. Such effects can be applicable to a wide range of cellular systems.