Extended Data Fig. 2: Temporal scatter density plots of cell states during nutrient depletion in SOB batch culture and re-incubation of the cells from stationary phase to fresh SOB medium.

Data were obtained by flow cytometry at the indicated times with 50,000 events detected per experiment (Supplementary Table 5). A dashed line in the density plot is indicated to discriminate between two distinct phenotypic states (see Methods). (a) A time course is shown for cells initially induced to green state switching gradually from a green state (0 h) to a red state (15 h) throughout the nutrient depletion until the stationary phase. These cells maintained the red state when diluted into fresh SOB medium and grown on the rich-nutrient condition for another 5 h. (b) A time course for cells initially switched to the red state shows that they do not change their state during nutrient depletion. Cells can be further switched to the green state by adding cTc and maintaining this state in a no-inducer fresh medium. It shows that this circuit recaptures its bistability and suggests the phenotype changes during the nutrient depletion do not involve genetic variations.