Overview: We spend quite a lot of time thinking about our wellbeing: how awful it is to have a headache or toothache, which medicines and health products we should use, how to avoid accidents, how to prevent babies from falling downstairs, the stress of homework and exams, and so on. But what about our microbial friends: what are the issues affecting their wellbeing and what stresses do they face? Well, many of them are the same as those confronting us: obtaining enough food, environments that are naturally stressful for them because they are too hot, cold, salty, etc., polluted environments, competition and conflict, predators. This is important for us in general, and for biotechnology in particular because, if we want microbes to provide us with products and services, we need to know about their wellbeing in order to provide them with the conditions needed for their best performance.So, let’s learn about microbial wellbeing!
Creation of the TFs is a work in progress: those already available are indicated by titles that are live links. Titles of those still in the pipeline are shown for context.
Seeking (and creating) optimal places to live
- The key issue of gradients
- Sensing the environment
- Moving to a better place using a compass: magnetotactic bacteria
Dealing with life’s stresses
- Stress tolerance: hydrostatic pressure
- Life in the cold
- Stress tolerance: compatible solutes
- Starvation
- Stress hormones
Getting sick