Viruses Communicate to Determine Bacterial Cell Fate
Monday, September 15, 2008 - 08:21
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.