An international research team led by the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) has discovered a new strategy used by the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa to adapt to its host. In the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers demonstrate that epigenetic processes can lead to the emergence of distinct sub-populations within genetically identical bacterial populations. This heterogeneity may be a key for bacteria to establish successful infections.
When bacteria remember: P. aeruginosa may use epigenetic memory for enhanced infection success
