The talk will be recorded for later viewing. Coffee and snacks will be available.

Abstract: Cellular space is incredibly crowded with biomolecules yet well-organized. However, we still lack a precise understanding of how cellular spaces at the microscopic scales are spatially organized to give rise to cellular scale behaviors. In this talk, I will discuss how bacteria as simple living systems manage subcellular space to determine cell size and possibly to optimize cell fitness. First, I will show how bacteria cells employ some molecules as a ‘space sensor’; to maintain cell size within a narrow range despite stochasticity during growth. Second, I will introduce our ongoing effort of testing a fundamental hypothesis suggested by our preliminary observations: the membrane real-estate hypothesis – the cytoplasmic membrane is so packed with proteins that the cell needs to fine-tune the density, composition, and organization of the membrane proteins for optimizing cell fitness. We hope these studies will help bridge our understanding of the organization of subcellular components and cell physiology and fitness, one step towards getting the answer to a fundamental question – how life at the cellular scale emerges from biomolecules and their interactions.