Negative auto-regulation increases the input dynamic-range of the arabinose system of Escherichia coli
2011
Negative Auto-Regulation Increases Input Dynamic Range in E. coli
publication
Evidence: high
Author Information
Author(s): Madar Daniel, Dekel Erez, Bren Anat, Alon Uri
Primary Institution: The Weizmann Institute of Science
Hypothesis
Does negative auto-regulation preserve its function in a natural system embedded within many additional interactions?
Conclusion
Negative auto-regulation in the arabinose system of E. coli increases the range of arabinose signals that the system can respond to.
Supporting Evidence
- Disrupting negative auto-regulation reduced the input dynamic range by about 10-fold.
- The apparent Hill coefficient changed from about n = 1 with negative auto-regulation to about n = 2 when it was disrupted.
- Negative auto-regulation allows the transcription factor concentration to be modulated by its own input signal.
Takeaway
This study shows that a special feedback mechanism in bacteria helps them respond better to different amounts of sugar.
Methodology
The study compared the wild type arabinose system to a variant with disrupted negative auto-regulation, measuring promoter activity in response to varying arabinose concentrations.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website