Aging of a Bacterial Colony Enforces the Evolvement of Nondifferentiating Mutants.

ABSTRACT: Bacteria in nature are known to survive for long periods under restricting conditions, mainly by reducing their growth rate and metabolic activity. Here, we uncover a novel strategy utilized by bacterial cells to resist aging by propagating rather than halting division. Bacterial aging was monitored by inspecting colonies of the Gram-positive soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis, which is capable of differentiating into various cell types under nutrient exhaustion. We revealed that after days of incubation, rejuvenating subpopulations, arrayed over the mother colony, emerged. These subpopulations were found to harbor mutations in a variety of genes, restricting the ability of the cells to differentiate. Surprisingly, even mutations that are not classically designated to developmental pa

SUBMITTER: Hashuel R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6722413 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature