Synchronization of gene expression across eukaryotic communities through chemical rhythms

10 Pág. Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP)
The synchronization is a recurring phenomenon in neuroscience, ecology, human sciences, and biology. However, controlling synchronization in complex eukaryotic consortia on extended spatial-temporal scales remains a major challenge. Here, to address this issue we construct a minimal synthetic system that directly converts chemical signals into a coherent gene expression synchronized among eukaryotic communities through rate-dependent hysteresis. Guided by chemical rhythms, isolated colonies of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae oscillate in near-perfect synchrony despite the absence of intercellular coupling or intrinsic oscillations. Increased speed of chemical rhythms and incorporation of feedback in the system architecture can tune synchronization and precision of the cell responses in a growing cell collectives. This synchronization mechanism remain robust under stress in the two-strain consortia composed of toxin-sensitive and toxin-producing strains. The sensitive cells can maintain the spatial-temporal synchronization for extended periods under the rhythmic toxin dosages produced by killer cells. Our study provides a simple molecular framework for generating global coordination of eukaryotic gene expression through dynamic environment.
This work was supported by the Programa de Atraccion de Talento 2017 (Comunidad de Madrid, 2017-T1/BIO-5654 to K.W.), Severo Ochoa (SO) Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D from the Agencia Estatal de Investigacion of Spain (grant SEV-2016-0672 (2017-2021) to K.W. via the CBGP). In the frame of SEV-2016-0672 funding M.A. received a PhD fellowship (SEV-2016-0672-18-3: PRE2018-084946) and O.P. is supported with a postdoctoral contract. K.W. was supported by Programa Estatal de Generacion del Conocimiento y Fortalecimiento Cientıfico y Tecnologico del Sistema de I + D + I 2019 (PGC2018-093387-A-I00) from MICIU (to K.W.). UPM Plan Propio Predoctoral fellow finances M. G.N.