Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Microorganisms need to sense and respond to constantly changing microenvironments, and adapt their transcriptome, proteome, and metabolism accordingly to survive [1]. However, microbes sometimes react in a way which does not make immediate biological sense in light of the current environment— for example, by up-regulating an iron acquisition system in times of metal abundance. The reason for this seemingly nonsensical behavior can lie in the microbe’s ability to predict a coming change in conditions by cues from the current environment. If the microbe (pre-)adapts accordingly, it will increase its fitness and chances of survival under subsequent selection pressures—a concept known as adaptive prediction (Figure 1) [2]. In metazoans with complex neural network architecture, the capacity to anticipate changes in the environment is understand-able. It can be achieved in a single multicellular organism, e.g., by classical conditioning. In unicellular organisms, however, this type of learning normally requires generations of selection pressure to connect one predictor to a coming condition.
Source: PLoS Pathogens
Authors: Sascha Brunke, Bernhard Hube
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,043
OpenAlex ID: W2117494447