N. S. Wingreen

Morphogenesis of bacterial colonies in polymeric environments

This study shows that bacterial colonies form serpentine 'cables' in polymer-rich environments due to entropic attraction and hindered diffusion, revealing new principles of morphogenesis in complex media.

Distinct microcolony morphologies promote flow-dependent bacterial colonization

The paper shows that bacterial species use distinct microcolony morphologies to colonize surfaces under high fluid flow, with S. aureus relying on signaling molecules and E. faecalis on mechanical forces.

Interfacial morphodynamics of proliferating microbial communities

The paper develops a continuum model to study interfacial morphodynamics in microbial communities, finding that interface stability depends on cell proliferation rates and substrate friction.

Pattern formation by bacteria-phage interactions

This study develops a theoretical model of bacteria-phage interactions showing how non-reciprocal predator-prey dynamics lead to complex spatial patterns in bacterial and phage organization.

Effects of linker length on phase separation: lessons from the Rubisco-EPYC1 system of the algal pyrenoid

The paper investigates how linker length affects phase separation in the Rubisco-EPYC1 system of green algae, finding that shorter linkers significantly reduce critical concentrations.

Conformational entropy of intrinsically disordered proteins bars intruders from biomolecular condensates

The paper shows that intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) in biomolecular condensates exclude intruders via conformational entropy, with exclusion efficiency increasing with IDR concentration and intruder size.

Lytic and temperate phage naturally coexist in a dynamic population model

The paper shows that lytic and temperate phage can coexist in a bacterial community through chaotic dynamics, with lytic phage populations fluctuating to extinction despite dominance.

Phase-separating pyrenoid proteins form complexes in the dilute phase

The paper demonstrates the existence of protein complexes in the dilute phase of phase-separating systems using an algal pyrenoid reconstitution system and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.

Massively-parallel Microbial mRNA Sequencing (M3-Seq) reveals heterogenous behaviors in bacteria at single-cell resolution

The paper introduces M3-Seq, a single-cell RNA-sequencing platform for bacteria, and demonstrates its ability to reveal rare populations and stress response strategies.

Roughening instability of growing 3D bacterial colonies

This study shows that 3D bacterial colonies develop a rough, branched morphology due to nutrient limitations, differing from 2D colonies.

The exchange dynamics of biomolecular condensates

The paper derives an analytical expression for condensate exchange timescales and shows interface resistance can arise from molecular bouncing at the droplet interface.

A rich get richer effect governs intracellular condensate size distributions

The paper investigates condensate size distributions in cells and finds that exponential and power-law distributions arise from different physical mechanisms, with the latter linked to a 'rich get richer' effect.

Membrane fission during bacterial spore development requires DNA-pumping driven cellular inflation

This study shows that DNA-pumping driven forespore inflation generates membrane tension required for FisB-mediated membrane fission during bacterial spore development.

Quantitative input-output dynamics of a c-di-GMP signal-transduction cascade in Vibrio cholerae

The paper quantifies how c-di-GMP signaling via NspS-MbaA in Vibrio cholerae translates ligand binding into specific biofilm gene expression changes.

Noisy metabolism can drive the evolution of microbial cross-feeding

This paper introduces a theory for the evolution of microbial cross-feeding called noise-averaging cooperation, showing that metabolic noise can drive the evolution of metabolite sharing among related bacteria.

Diffusion barriers and adaptive carbon uptake strategies enhance the modeled performance of the algal CO2-concentrating mechanism

The paper develops a chloroplast-scale reaction-diffusion model to analyze the algal CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM), showing that diffusion barriers and adaptive carbon uptake strategies enhance its performance and efficiency.

Mechanical frustration of phase separation in the cell nucleus by chromatin

The paper investigates how chromatin mechanics suppress phase separation in the nucleus and control droplet properties through theory and simulation.

A biophysical limit for quorum sensing in biofilms

This paper uses agent-based simulations to show that quorum sensing in biofilms is limited by nutrient availability, making AI production a protected function for effective communication.

FisB relies on homo-oligomerization and lipid-binding to catalyze membrane fission in bacteria

This study identifies that FisB catalyzes bacterial membrane fission through homo-oligomerization and lipid-binding, without requiring curvature sensing or lipid microdomains.

Sequence dependence of biomolecular phase separation

This study shows that the sequence of binding motifs affects phase separation by influencing conformational entropy, providing a new mechanism for biological control.

Decoding the physical principles of two-component biomolecular phase separation

This study investigates the physical principles of two-component biomolecular phase separation using simulations and theory, revealing a magic-ratio effect that suppresses phase separation at specific stoichiometries.

Chromatin Mechanics Dictates Subdiffusion and Coarsening Dynamics of Embedded Condensates

This study shows that chromatin mechanics slow down condensate coarsening by inhibiting droplet growth and causing subdiffusion, with implications for biophysical regulation of condensates.

The Bacterial Cytoskeleton Spatially Confines Functional Membrane Microdomains

This study shows that bacterial membrane microdomains are spatially confined by the MreB cytoskeleton and cell wall, not lipids, and this mechanism is conserved across prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Competitive binding of independent extension and retraction motors explains the quantitative dynamics of type IV pili

The paper quantifies type IV pili dynamics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and shows that extension and retraction are governed by competitive motor binding, with retraction motor unbinding limiting production.

Spatial Ecology of Territorial Populations

The paper develops a model of territorial resource competition to study biodiversity and population dynamics, finding that nutrient diffusion time and spatial structure significantly influence species coexistence and extinction.

Revealing evolutionary constraints on proteins through sequence analysis

The paper identifies evolutionary sectors in protein sequences by analyzing covariance matrix eigenvalues, linking them to physical properties and mutational effects.

Regulation of T cell expansion by antigen presentation dynamics

The paper models T cell expansion dynamics and shows that antigen presentation kinetics regulate the size and specificity of the adaptive immune response.

E. coli translation strategies differ across nutrient conditions

This study shows E. coli uses different translation strategies under carbon, nitrogen, and phosphate limitations to maintain protein production rates while adapting to nutrient availability.