Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026
07:28
Live Cell Fluorescence Microscopy to Observe Essential Processes During Microbial Cell Growth
Published on: November 24, 2017
Phase-plastic aggresomes as tunable regulators of bacterial dormancy depth
Jun Yang1,2, Yujia Xian1,2, Chenyi Wang1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Msystems
|June 12, 2026
Summary
Bacterial persistence involves dormant cells surviving antibiotics via aggresomes, which are dynamic protein-RNA condensates. Their material state controls dormancy depth and recovery, offering new therapeutic targets for chronic infections.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Bacterial persistence is a critical challenge in chronic and biofilm infections.
- Dormant bacterial subpopulations survive antibiotics without genetic resistance.
- Aggresomes, protein-RNA condensates, are implicated in bacterial dormancy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in understanding bacterial persistence.
- To present a unifying model where phase-plastic aggresomes regulate dormancy depth.
- To explore aggresome plasticity as a therapeutic target.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on bacterial persistence and aggresomes.
- Analysis of the role of liquid-liquid phase separation in condensate formation.
- Examination of aggresome dynamics under stress conditions (ATP depletion, ROS).
Main Results:
- Aggresomes act as tunable regulators of bacterial dormancy depth.
- The material state of aggresomes (liquid-like to gel-like) controls recovery kinetics.
- Aggresome composition evolves, modulating dormancy depth and resuscitation time.
- Bacteria adaptively manage survival-recovery trade-offs via aggresome plasticity.
Conclusions:
- Aggresomes are adaptive organelles regulating bacterial dormancy.
- Understanding aggresome plasticity offers novel therapeutic strategies against bacterial persistence.
- Targeting aggresome material states could combat recalcitrant infections.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Gene Regulation During Sporulation
Sporulation is a complex developmental process that allows certain Gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis and Clostridium species, to survive extreme environmental conditions. This process is tightly regulated by a series of signaling cascades and transcriptional controls, ensuring the formation of a highly resistant endospore.Sporulation is triggered by unfavorable conditions, such as nutrient depletion, and is governed by a phosphorelay system. One of the sensor kinases, such as...
01:23Stringent Response in E. coli
Bacterial growth is closely tied to nutrient availability, with cells proliferating exponentially under favorable conditions and entering a stationary phase when resources become scarce. This transition is mediated by a regulatory mechanism known as the stringent response, which allows bacteria to adapt to nutrient deprivation by modulating gene expression and metabolic activity.During nutrient scarcity, intracellular amino acid levels decline. It results in the accumulation of uncharged tRNAs...
01:58Prokaryotic Transcriptional Activators and Repressors
The organization of prokaryotic genes in their genome is notably different from that of eukaryotes. Prokaryotic genes are organized, such that the genes for proteins involved in the same biochemical process or function are located together in groups. This group of genes, along with their regulatory elements, are collectively known as an operon. The functional genes in an operon are transcribed together to give a single strand of mRNA known as polycistronic mRNA.
Transcription of prokaryotic...
Transcription of prokaryotic...
01:58Prokaryotic Transcriptional Activators and Repressors
The organization of prokaryotic genes in their genome is notably different from that of eukaryotes. Prokaryotic genes are organized, such that the genes for proteins involved in the same biochemical process or function are located together in groups. This group of genes, along with their regulatory elements, are collectively known as an operon. The functional genes in an operon are transcribed together to give a single strand of mRNA known as polycistronic mRNA.
Transcription of prokaryotic...
Transcription of prokaryotic...
01:30Other Stress Responses in Bacteria
Bacteria have global regulatory systems that control several types of stress mechanisms. These include Pho regulon and the heat shock response, which are essential systems for environmental adaptation, such as nutrient limitation and proteotoxic stress. The Pho regulon and the heat shock response exemplify bacterial resilience, enabling rapid adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions.Pho RegulonBacteria require phosphorus for essential cellular processes, including nucleic acid...
01:21Repressible Operon: trp Operon
The trp operon in Escherichia coli exemplifies a repressible operon. It regulates the synthesis of tryptophan through repressor-mediated transcriptional control and attenuation. This dual regulatory mechanism ensures tryptophan biosynthesis occurs only when needed, conserving cellular resources.Structure of the trp OperonThe trp operon consists of five structural genes (trpE, trpD, trpC, trpB, and trpA) that encode enzymes for tryptophan biosynthesis. These genes are transcribed as a single...