Physiological, Genetic, and Transcriptomic Analysis of Alcohol-Induced Delay of Escherichia coli Death.

ABSTRACT: When Escherichia coli K-12 is inoculated into rich medium in batch culture, cells experience five phases. While the lag and logarithmic phases are mechanistically fairly well defined, the stationary phase, death phase, and long-term stationary phase are less well understood. Here, we characterize a mechanism of delaying death, a phenomenon we call the "alcohol effect," where the addition of small amounts of certain alcohols prolongs stationary phase for at least 10 days longer than in untreated conditions. We show that the stationary phase is extended when ethanol is added above a minimum threshold concentration. Once ethanol levels fall below a threshold concentration, cells enter the death phase. We also show that the effect is conferred by the addition of straight-chain alcohols

SUBMITTER: Ferraro CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6328766 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature