In cell biology, the cell cycle is described as an ordered set of events, culminating in cell growth and division into two daughter cells. The process by which bacteria divide must be tightly controlled - both temporally and spatially. However, it is not known how this regulation is achieved by these simple organisms. The temporal structure of a biological system is at least as intricate as its spatial structure. Whereas there is generally detailed information regarding the spatial characteristics of a given biological system, understanding of the temporal nature of such a system is usually still rudimentary.
Periodicity is essential for synchronization and coordination of intracellular processes.
It has become increasingly clear that periodic behavior abounds in major events of the cell cycle. Growing and dividing bacterial cells display cyclic behavior in constant external conditions and thus may be classified as an auto-oscillating system by definition. Nutritional shifts or pulses constitute appropriate tests for observation of these phenomena in bacterial populations. Several model systems have been developed in order to study the process of cellular division and proliferation in prokaryotic organisms. These have the particular focus of eliminating the problem of masking due to random temporal characteristics of cell division in bacterial populations.