Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40537346›Full record

ReviewTrends in microbiology2025

Maximizing bacterial survival: integrating sense-and-respond and bet-hedging mechanisms.

Lillian C Lowrey, Nicole C Gadda, Rita Tamayo

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Trends in microbiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. A programmed reset mechanism primesScience advances · 2026
    Article
  3. Phase variable colony morphotypes ofInfection and immunity · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Exploring bet-hedging inmSystems · 2026
    Article
  6. Review
  7. Journal of bacteriology · 2026
    Article
  8. Phase variable colony morphotypes ofbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  9. Article
  10. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Lillian C LowreySandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA, USA.
Nicole C GaddaDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Rita TamayoDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Electronic address: rita_tamayo@med.unc.edu.

Funding

Global regulation in Clostridium difficile via phase variation of cyclic diguanylate signalingR01AI143638 · NIAID · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI TAMAYO, RITA · 2019 to 2023
$2.5M
Contact-dependent signaling and DNA transposition in BurkholderiaR35GM136533 · NIGMS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI COTTER, PEGGY A · 2020 to 2024
$1.9M
Defining the role of phenotypic heterogeneity in Clostridioides difficile fitnessR01AI188648 · NIAID · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI RITA TAMAYO · 2025 to 2026
$1.1M
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI143638NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI188648NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM136533
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Two-component systems allow bacteria to respond to specific environmental signals with defined adaptive phenotypic changes, a process that requires time and may be inadequate for contending with rapidly changing environments. In contrast, phase variation generates baseline levels of phenotypic heterogeneity that helps to ensure survival of the population as a whole. This strategy may be better suited to confront abrupt environmental changes but may produce transiently less-fit subpopulations. Many bacteria have integrated phase variation and two-component signaling - how combining these stochastic and deterministic mechanisms affects bacterial fitness is unclear. Here, we identify three distinct schemes for integration of phase variation and two-component signaling. Using well-characterized examples, we speculate the circumstances in which each integration scheme confers a fitness advantage.

Indexed as

BacteriaBacterial Physiological PhenomenaMicrobial ViabilitySignal TransductionAdaptation, PhysiologicalBacterial ProteinsGene Expression Regulation, BacterialGenetic FitnessBacterial Proteinsbacterial fitnessgene regulationphase variationphenotypic heterogeneitysignal transductiontwo-component system

Identifiers

PMID40537346
PMCPMC12354301

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.