Viruses Collectively Decide Bacterial Cell's Fate

Monday, September 15, 2008 - 13:35 in Biology & Nature

A new study suggests that bacteria-infecting viruses -- called phages -- can make collective decisions about whether to kill host cells immediately after infection or enter a latent state to remain within the host cell. The research shows that when multiple viruses infect a cell, the overall level of viral gene expression increases, which has a dramatic nonlinear effect on gene networks that control cell fate.

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