Swim or chill: lifestyles of a bacillus.
Bacillus subtilis exhibits a number of lifestyles, each characterized by a distinguishing pattern of gene expression. In this issue of Genes & Development, Chai and colleagues (pp. 754-765) dissect the decision-making processes underlying the switch between the motile and sessile states of B. subtilis, and show a role for a double-negative feedback loop that locks the system into the sessile state. These findings are discussed in the context of the natural history and of other lifestyle decisions faced by this model organism.
Dubnau
David
D
Public Health Research Center, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, 07103, USA. dubnauda@umdnj.edu
D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D010641:Phenotype
D001426:Bacterial Proteins
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