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Microscope image that color-codes bacterial spores according to signal intensity: the brighter the color, the stronger the signal
Relying on its tenacious vitality, bacteria thrive in all kinds of life forms, including humans, and in all corners of the earth
.
Bacteria are difficult to kill because they have unique survival strategies, one of which is to go dormant under the protection of endospores
.
Bacterial spores are extremely resilient bacterial genetic material
.
Inside the spores, bacteria can remain dehydrated and dormant for years
surrounded by a protective layer.
Thus, it has the ability to
survive extreme heat, pressure and even outer space.
.
Since they stop metabolism, they are considered physiologically dead (without biological activity).
On October 6, 2022, in a new study published in Science, a team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego detected unexpected activity in dormant bacterial spores, showing for the first time that these physiologically dead beings can still sense their surroundings and decide when to resurrect themselves after integrating environmental information
.
The discovery changed previous scientists' understanding of spores and challenged understanding
of how disease spreads and how life survives in extreme environments.
The dormant state of bacterial spores is generally considered to be
biologically inactive.
In the new study, the researchers found that spores in a deeply dormant state have the ability to
process information.
They release stored electrochemical potential energy to sense
their environment without metabolic activity.
Spores are the cause of
many diseases that persist for a long time without water or nutrients.
Under the right conditions, the spores can rehydrate and restart metabolism, making them infectious again
.
But how exactly does the spore know when to "come back to life"? If this time window doesn't last long, reacting to every drop of water or every bite of nutrients means wasting a lot of energy
.
However, endlessly waiting for the next "feast" can also mean missing the opportunity
for "resurrection".
To find out, the researchers tested thousands of dormant Bacillus subtilis spores
.
The bacteria are thought to be harmless to humans, and they hold the record
for the longest survival in space.
The researchers measured whether the spores could detect multiple transient trophic pulse signals in the environment that were often not enough to trigger spore resurrection
.
As predicted, one or two trophic pulses were not enough to wake up the bacteria, but over time, a cumulative effect occurred: the spores were able to retain their memories, and the bacteria "revived"
after reaching a certain number of nutritional signals.
The researchers also monitored changes in the activity of bacterial spores in response to these transient nutritional signals, showing that the spores use energy
stored in the form of potassium ions (K+) each time there is a signal input.
It's a bit like a capacitor in a circuit, storing energy for later use
.
Next, the team used a mathematical model of bacterial electrophysiology to explain what was happening
.
They found that each integrated signal triggers the release of potassium ions, and over time, the potassium ions become more and more abundant, eventually initiating the "resurrection"
of the bacteria.
If external conditions are less suitable, a processing mechanism called cumulative signaling can also prevent the bacteria from "resurrecting"
prematurely.
The discovery reveals a decision-making mechanism
that operates in cells without physiological activity.
The spores process information in a similar way to how neurons in
our brains work.
This is a very familiar evolutionary strategy
.
Over time, tiny, ephemeral inputs in bacteria and neurons are superimposed to test whether thresholds
are reached.
After reaching the threshold, the spores begin to regain life; Neurons, on the other hand, fire action potentials and communicate with
other neurons.
However, unlike neuronal cells, which are very energy-intensive, spores can do this without any metabolic energy, they only need to store potassium
.
This discovery is beyond the management of
diseases on Earth.
Researchers believe that if scientists find life on Mars or Venus, they are likely to be dormant
.
This study tells us that a seemingly completely incapacitated life form can still think about its next move
.
The team says in-depth research into other organisms known to be able to enter a spore-like state, such as fungi, will help tease out what
they mean for life more broadly.
Links to papers:
https://doi.
org/10.
1126/science.
abl7484
