Method to investigate how bacteria respond to starvation, probe cell growth
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 - 07:50
in Biology & Nature
In 1969, scientist Michael Cashel was analyzing the compounds produced by starved bacteria when he noticed two spots appearing on his chromatogram as if by magic. Today, we know one of these "magic spots," as researchers call them, as guanosine tetraphosphate, or ppGpp for short. We also understand that it is a signaling molecule present in virtually all bacteria, helping tune cell growth and size based on nutrient availability.