Work

Bacterial Programmed Cell Death and Multicellular Behavior in Bacteria

Year: 2006

Type: review

Abstract: Traditionally, programmed cell death (PCD) is associated with eukaryotic multicellular organisms. However, recently, PCD systems have also been observed in bacteria. Here we review recent research on two kinds of genetic programs that promote bacterial cell death. The first is mediated by mazEF, a toxin-antitoxin module found in the chromosomes of many kinds of bacteria, and mainly studied in Escherichia coli. The second program is found in Bacillus subtilis, in which the skf and sdp operons mediate the death of a subpopulation of sporulating bacterial cells. We relate these two bacterial PCD systems to the ways in which bacterial populations resemble multicellular organisms.

Source: PLoS Genetics

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.0020135

Authors: Hanna Engelberg-Kulka, Shahar Amitai, Ilana Kolodkin-Gal, Ronen Hazan

Institutions: Harvard University, Baylor College of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,043

Funder: Israel Science Foundation