by Audrey Menegaz Proenca, Camilla Ulla Rang, Andrew Qiu, Chao Shi, Lin Chao

Cellular aging, a progressive functional decline driven by damage accumulation, often culminates in the mortality of a cell lineage. Certain lineages, however, are able to sustain long-lasting immortality, as prominently exemplified by stem cells. Here, we show that Escherichia coli cell lineages exhibit comparable patterns of mortality and immortality. Through single-cell microscopy and microfluidic techniques, we find that these patterns are explained by the dynamics of damage accumulation and asymmetric partitioning between daughter cells. At low damage accumulation rates, both aging and rejuvenating lineages retain immortality by reaching their respective states of physiological equilibrium. We show that both asymmetry and equilibrium are present in repair mutants lacking certain repair chaperones, suggesting that intact repair capacity is not essential for immortal proliferation. We show that this growth equilibrium, however, is displaced by extrinsic damage in a dosage-dependent response. Moreover, we demonstrate that aging lineages become mortal when damage accumulation rates surpass a threshold, whereas rejuvenating lineages within the same population remain immortal. Thus, the processes of damage accumulation and partitioning through asymmetric cell division are essential in the determination of proliferative mortality and immortality in bacterial populations. This study provides further evidence for the characterization of cellular aging as a general process, affecting prokaryotes and eukaryotes alike and according to similar evolutionary constraints.

A new type of wood material that reflects sunlight could keep homes cool and cut energy used for air conditioning

A new type of wood material that reflects sunlight could keep homes cool and cut energy used for air conditioning

A new type of wood material that reflects sunlight could keep homes cool and cut energy used for air conditioning

It turns out that tiny fish are crucial to supporting larger animals on and around a healthy coral reef

It turns out that tiny fish are crucial to supporting larger animals on and around a healthy coral reef

It turns out that tiny fish are crucial to supporting larger animals on and around a healthy coral reef

Face recognition technology is being rolled out across the world, but activists and politicians are starting to push back on creeping surveillance

Face recognition technology is being rolled out across the world, but activists and politicians are starting to push back on creeping surveillance

Face recognition technology is being rolled out across the world, but activists and politicians are starting to push back on creeping surveillance

On Thursday, SpaceX will launch 60 spacecraft on a single rocket to start a planned fleet of 12,000 broadband internet satellites

On Thursday, SpaceX will launch 60 spacecraft on a single rocket to start a planned fleet of 12,000 broadband internet satellites

On Thursday, SpaceX will launch 60 spacecraft on a single rocket to start a planned fleet of 12,000 broadband internet satellites

A group of chimpanzees in Gabon has figured out how to eat tortoises by cracking open their shells against tree trunks — further evidence of the apes’ ingenuity

A group of chimpanzees in Gabon has figured out how to eat tortoises by cracking open their shells against tree trunks — further evidence of the apes’ ingenuity

A group of chimpanzees in Gabon has figured out how to eat tortoises by cracking open their shells against tree trunks — further evidence of the apes’ ingenuity

Thousands of preschools in China are using robots to give students heath checks. Each morning they examine pupils looking for signs of contagious diseases

Thousands of preschools in China are using robots to give students heath checks. Each morning they examine pupils looking for signs of contagious diseases

Thousands of preschools in China are using robots to give students heath checks. Each morning they examine pupils looking for signs of contagious diseases

Once again elections are being battered and political views polarized by far-right propaganda flooding social media – could a simple tweak to online connections help win the information wars?