Bistability, Epigenetics, and Bet-Hedging in Bacteria

Clonal populations of microbial cells often show a high degree of phenotypic variability under homogeneous conditions. Stochastic fluctuations in the cellular components that determine cellular states can cause two distinct subpopulations, a property called bistability. Phenotypic heterogeneity can...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of microbiology 2008-01, Vol.62 (1), p.193-210
Main Authors: VEENMG, Jan-Willem, SMITS, Wiep Klaas, KUIPERS, Oscar P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacillus subtilis - genetics
Bacillus subtilis - physiology
Bacteria
Bacteria - genetics
Bacteriology
Biofilms - growth & development
Biological and medical sciences
Biotechnology
Cells
Cloning
Epigenesis, Genetic
Escherichia coli - genetics
Escherichia coli - physiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene Regulatory Networks
Genetics
Genomic Instability
Genotype & phenotype
Heterogeneity
Lac Operon
Microbiology
Miscellaneous
Models, Genetic
Phenotype
Spores, Bacterial - genetics
Subpopulations
Transformation, Genetic
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Clonal populations of microbial cells often show a high degree of phenotypic variability under homogeneous conditions. Stochastic fluctuations in the cellular components that determine cellular states can cause two distinct subpopulations, a property called bistability. Phenotypic heterogeneity can be readily obtained by interlinking multiple gene regulatory pathways, effectively resulting in a genetic logic-AND gate. Although switching between states can occur within the cells' lifetime, cells can also pass their cellular state over to the next generation by a mechanism known as epigenetic inheritance and thus perpetuate the phenotypic state. Importantly, heterogeneous populations can demonstrate increased fitness compared with homogeneous populations. This suggests that microbial cells employ bet-hedging strategies to maximize survival. Here, we discuss the possible roles of interlinked bistable networks, epigenetic inheritance, and bet-hedging in bacteria.
ISSN:0066-4227
1545-3251
DOI:10.1146/annurev.micro.62.081307.163002