Mild Nutrient Starvation Triggers the Development of a Small-Cell Survival Morphotype in Mycobacteria.

ABSTRACT: Mycobacteria, generally believed to be non-sporulating, are well known to survive shock starvation in saline for extended periods of time in a non-replicating state without any apparent morphological changes. Here, we uncover that mycobacteria can undergo cellular differentiation by exposing Mycobacterium smegmatis to mild starvation conditions. Traces of various carbon sources in saline triggered the development of a novel small resting cell (SMRC) morphotype. Development of SMRCs could also be observed for other mycobacteria, suggesting evolutionary conservation of this differentiation pathway. Fluorescence microscopic analyses showed that development of SMRCs progresses via septated, multi-nucleoided cell intermediates, which divide to generate mono-nucleoided SMRCs. Intriguingly, salin

SUBMITTER: Wu ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4909757 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature