Monitoring single-cell dynamics of entry into quiescence during an unperturbed lifecycle.

Fiche publication


Date publication

novembre 2021

Journal

eLife

Auteurs

Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Dr CHARVIN Gilles


Tous les auteurs :
Jacquel B, Aspert T, Laporte D, Sagot I, Charvin G

Résumé

The life cycle of microorganisms is associated with dynamic metabolic transitions and complex cellular responses. In yeast, how metabolic signals control the progressive choreography of structural reorganizations observed in quiescent cells during a natural life cycle remains unclear. We have developed an integrated microfluidic device to address this question, enabling continuous single-cell tracking in a batch culture experiencing unperturbed nutrient exhaustion to unravel the coordination between metabolic and structural transitions within cells. Our technique reveals an abrupt fate divergence in the population, whereby a fraction of cells is unable to transition to respiratory metabolism and undergoes a reversible entry into a quiescence-like state leading to premature cell death. Further observations reveal that non-monotonous internal pH fluctuations in respiration-competent cells orchestrate the successive waves of protein super-assemblies formation that accompany the entry into a quiescent state. This ultimately leads to an abrupt cytosolic glass transition that occurs stochastically long after proliferation cessation. This new experimental framework provides a unique way to track single-cell fate dynamics over a long timescale in a population of cells that continuously modify their ecological niche.

Mots clés

S. cerevisiae, cell biology, ecology

Référence

Elife. 2021 Nov 1;10: