In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers at UC San Diego have unlocked fundamental principles governing bacterial cell division. Their work, published May 5, 2025, in Nature Physics, sheds light on how the MIN protein system prevents abnormal cell division in bacteria like Escherichia coli.
The team engineered E. coli cells to precisely control MIN protein expression levels. This allowed them to demonstrate that oscillations within the MIN system are remarkably stable across a wide range of protein concentrations. The bacteria efficiently produce only the minimum necessary amount of proteins while maintaining a constant oscillation wavelength.
This research highlights the power of integrating quantitative cell physiology with biophysical modeling. This integrated approach offers new avenues for understanding cellular organization and function, potentially leading to advancements in medicine and biotechnology. The findings could pave the way for developing novel antibacterial strategies or engineering cells with enhanced division control.