Faithful propagation of life requires coordination of DNA replication and segregation with cell growth and division. In bacteria, this results in cell size homeostasis and periodicity in replication and division. The situation is perturbed under stress such as DNA damage, which induces filamentation as cell cycle progression is blocked to allow for repair. Mechanisms that release this morphological state for re-entry into wild type growth are unclear. Here we show that damage-induced Escherichia coli filaments divide asymmetrically, producing short daughter cells that tend to be devoid of damage and have wild type size and growth dynamics. The Min system primarily determines division site location in the filament, with additional regulation of division completion by chromosome segregation. Collectively, we propose that coordination between chromosome (and specifically terminus) segregation and cell division may result in asymmetric division in damage-induced filaments and facilitate recovery from a stressed state.

生命的忠实传播需要 DNA 复制和分离与细胞生长和分裂的协调。在细菌中，这导致细胞大小稳态以及复制和分裂的周期性。这种情况在压力下会受到干扰，例如 DNA 损伤，当细胞周期进程被阻止以进行修复时，会诱导丝状形成。释放这种形态状态以重新进入野生型生长的机制尚不清楚。在这里我们展示了损伤诱导的大肠杆菌细丝不对称分裂，产生短的子细胞，这些子细胞往往没有损伤，具有野生型大小和生长动态。Min 系统主要确定细丝中的分裂位点位置，并通过染色体分离对分裂完成进行额外调节。总的来说，我们建议染色体（特别是末端）分离和细胞分裂之间的协调可能导致损伤诱导的细丝的不对称分裂并促进从压力状态中恢复。