Extended Data Fig. 10: Probability potential landscape is reshaped during growth-rate fluctuation.

Computed potential landscapes of the mutual repression switch illustrate the robustness of the states of cells with different growth rates and genetic backgrounds (Supplementary Note 5). The contour lines indicate the potential at the specific protein concentration ([G] and [R] axes). (a–c) Strains growing at varied growth rates show distinct potential landscapes. (a) As the decreasing of the growth rate, the bistability of the strain LO1 remained when the growth rate is greater than the critical growth rate, however, the bistability catastrophe happens at the critical growth rate, and the system remains the red stable state only when the growth rate is lower than the critical growth rate. (b) The strain LO2 remaining two stable states in our experimental conditions, the computed potential landscapes indicate the intrinsic parameters of promoter make the system behave more robustly to the fluctuation in growth rate. (c) The strain LO3 shows bistability only at slow growth rates. (d) the relation between growth rate and barrier height of the strains LO1, LO2, and LO3. The green squares denote the barrier heights between the G state and saddle point (G→R), and the red circles indicate the barrier heights between the R state and saddle point (R→G). The black triangles denote the relative changes of the two barrier heights (R→G/G→R).

Source data