Non-genetic inheritance restraint of cell-to-cell variation

Genetically identical cells exhibit large heterogeneity in their physical and functional characteristics even under constant homogenous environmental conditions. This heterogeneity proliferates among population members originating from a single mother due to stochasticity in intracellular biochemical processes and in the distribution of resources during divisions. Conversely, it is limited in part by the inheritance of cellular components between consecutive generations. Here we introduce a new experimental method for measuring proliferation of heterogeneity in bacterial cell characteristics over time. Our measurements provide the inheritance dynamics of different cellular properties, and the "inertia" of cells to maintain these properties along time. We find that inheritance dynamics are property-specific, and can exhibit long-term memory of about 10 generations that works to restrain variation among cells. Our results can reveal mechanisms of non-genetic inheritance in bacteria and help understand how cells control their properties and heterogeneity within isogenic cell populations.