Diversification of single-cell growth dynamics under starvation influences subsequent reproduction in a clonal bacterial population.

Most of the microbes in nature infrequently receive nutrients and are thus in slow- or non-growing states. How quickly they can resume their growth upon an influx of new resources is crucial to occupy environmental niches. Isogenic microbial populations are known to harbor only a fraction of cells with rapid growth resumption, yet little is known about the physiological characteristics of those cells and their emergence in the population.

Sarcomere gene variants did not improve cardiac function in pediatric patients with dilated cardiomyopathy from Japanese cohorts.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a progressive myocardial disorder characterized by impaired cardiac contraction and ventricular dilation. However, some patients with DCM improve when experiencing left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR). Currently, the detailed association between genotypes and clinical outcomes, including LVRR, particularly among children, remains uncertain.

Live Imaging of Fission Yeast Single-Cell Lineages Using a Microfluidic Device.

Mother machine (MM) is a microfluidic device originally developed for long-term live imaging of Escherichia coli bacterial cells under a microscope. The simple yet sophisticated design has enabled microbiologists to track multiple single-cell lineages cultured under highly controlled external environments. Here, I describe how to fabricate a fission yeast version of MM with photolithography and soft lithography.