Abstract
Although considerable research has been conducted on how bacteria respond to temperature, there are still few studies that use simple protein allocation models to characterize these responses. To bridge this gap, we utilize a protein allocation framework to delineate quantitative correlations among temperature, growth rate, and the fraction of functional protein sectors. By calibrating the model with experimental temperature-dependent growth curves of Escherichia coli, we predict how proteomic resources are reallocated across various temperatures. This approach enables us to elucidate, from a proteomic perspective, the temperature dependency of constitutive β-galactosidase expression and the variations in E. coli cell size. Our research deepens the understanding of bacterial physiological adaptation to temperature changes.
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Data Availability
The data used in this paper can be found or generated using the provided Python code in the GitHub repository https://github.com/DeyuWang-itp/protein_allocation.
Code availability
The code used in this paper can be found in the same GitHub repository.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 12274426 and No. 12447101).
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D.W., Q.Z. and H.S. conceived the study and developed the theory. D.W. performed the investigation and wrote the draft. D.W., Q.Z., and H.S. discussed, reviewed, and revised the paper.
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Wang, D., Zhang, Q. & Shi, H. A proteome optimal allocation model for elucidating effects of temperature on bacterial growth. npj Syst Biol Appl (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41540-026-00693-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41540-026-00693-4
