A pathway and genetic factors contributing to elevated gene expression noise in stationary phase
Nicholas J. Guido 1, Philina Lee 1, Xiao Wang 1, Timothy C. Elston 2 and James J. Collins 1*
1 Boston University
2 University of North Carolina
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jcollins{at}bu.edu.
Submitted on August 2, 2007
Revised on August 23, 2007
Accepted on 17 September 2007
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Abstract |
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Previous studies have identified factors associated with transcription and translation efficiency, such as promoter strength and mRNA sequences, that can affect stochasticity in gene expression. Here we present evidence for a pathway and associated genetic factors (namely, the ribosome modulation factor RMF and ppGpp) in Escherichia coli that contribute to heightened levels of gene expression noise during stationary phase. Endogenous cellular mechanisms that globally affect gene expression noise, such as those identified in this study, could provide phenotypic diversity under adverse conditions such as stationary phase.
Key Words:
gene expression, gene noise, mathematical modeling, stationary phase, synthetic biology
