iScience
Volume 23, Issue 1, 24 January 2020, 100792
Journal home page for iScience

Article
Persister Cells Resuscitate Using Membrane Sensors that Activate Chemotaxis, Lower cAMP Levels, and Revive Ribosomes

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2019.100792Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • Persister cells wake primarily by sensing nutrients rather than spontaneously

  • Persisters wake using chemotaxis sensors and phosphotransferase membrane proteins

  • Persisters wake by reducing cAMP and by activating stalled/hibernating ribosomes

  • Persister cells undergo chemotaxis as they resuscitate

Summary

Persistence, the stress-tolerant state, is arguably the most vital phenotype since nearly all cells experience nutrient stress, which causes a sub-population to become dormant. However, how persister cells wake to reconstitute infections is not understood well. Here, using single-cell observations, we determined that Escherichia coli persister cells resuscitate primarily when presented with specific carbon sources, rather than spontaneously. In addition, we found that the mechanism of persister cell waking is through sensing nutrients by chemotaxis and phosphotransferase membrane proteins. Furthermore, nutrient transport reduces the level of secondary messenger cAMP through enzyme IIA; this reduction in cAMP levels leads to ribosome resuscitation and rescue. Resuscitating cells also immediately commence chemotaxis toward nutrients, although flagellar motion is not required for waking. Hence, persister cells wake by perceiving nutrients via membrane receptors that relay the signal to ribosomes via the secondary messenger cAMP, and persisters wake and utilize chemotaxis to acquire nutrients.

Subject Areas

Biological Sciences
Microbiology
Molecular Microbiology
Cell Biology

Cited by (0)

4

These authors contributed equally

5

Lead Contact