NSF/MCB-BSF: Probing cellular surplus in single bacterial cells to understand concerted controls of cell growth and adaptation

Bacteria as simple living organisms can survive and thrive in a broad range of conditions. Fast growth in steady conditions and rapid adaptation to new conditions are both essential for augmenting cell fitness. What controls their adaptation time when switched from one condition to another is still largely unknown. The goal of this project is to understand the physiological basis that defines the timescale of the non-genetic adaptation of bacterial cells. Our main strategy is to test a fundamental hypothesis: the cellular surplus hypothesis — the core biosynthetic machines have an excess amount that does not benefit steady growth, but rather is beneficial for adaptation to a new environment.