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Updated: Apr 7, 2026

High-Throughput Live Imaging of Microcolonies to Measure Heterogeneity in Growth and Gene Expression
Published on: April 18, 2021
A functional perspective on phenotypic heterogeneity in microorganisms
11] Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zürich), ETH Zentrum CHN H70.3, Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland. [2] Department of Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Ueberlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Most microbial communities consist of a genetically diverse assembly of different organisms, and the level of genetic diversity plays an important part in community properties and functions. However, biological diversity also arises at a lower level of biological organization, between genetically identical cells that reside in the same microenvironment. In this Review, I outline the molecular mechanisms responsible for phenotypic heterogeneity and discuss how phenotypic heterogeneity allows genotypes to persist in fluctuating environments. I also describe how it promotes interactions between phenotypic subpopulations in clonal groups, providing microbial groups with new functionality.
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