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Bacterial physiology is a scientific discipline that concerns the life-supporting functions and processes of bacteria, which allow bacterial cells to grow and reproduce.
The ubiquitous second messenger c-di-GMP regulates many biological processes in bacteria, including cell cycle, motility, virulence and biofilm formation. Here, Kaczmarczyk et al. develop a c-di-GMP biosensor that enables dynamic real-time tracking of c-di-GMP levels in individual living cells.
Live-cell single-molecule imaging reveals a single population of processive septal peptidoglycan synthases moving asynchronously with FtsZ that drive Bacillus subtilis cell constriction in a manner partially dependent upon FtsZ treadmilling.
Some cyanobacteria excrete nitrite when the supply of inorganic carbon is limiting, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, Kraus et al. identify a conserved protein that interacts with nitrite reductase, thus regulating nitrogen metabolism and promoting nitrite excretion.
This study shows that the distinct cellular organization across the depth of a biofilm is tightly regulated and has consequences for cell physiology and antibiotic tolerance.
This study describes Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus trimeric fibre proteins with diverse adhesive tips that enable the identification of a broad range of prey.
In this study, Gül et al. show that usage of different carbon sources by Enterobacteriaceae strains determines their expansion and co-existence in the mouse gut and favours plasmid transfer.
In this study, Irazoki et al. show that Vibrio cholerae releases d-amino acids into the environment, which are sensed by a bacterial chemoreceptor to prompt a repellent chemotactic response.