Bacterial Glycogen Provides Short-Term Benefits in Changing Environments

• DOI: 10.1128/aem.00049-20
• Publication Date: 2020-02-28T14:30:17Z
• Authors: Karthik Sekar; Stephanie M. Linker; Jen Nguyen; Alix Grünhagen; Roman Stocker; Uwe Sauer
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 2. Zero hunger; 03 medical and health sciences; Glucose; Stress, Physiological; 13. Climate action; Escherichia coli; Adaptation, Physiological; Glycogen

Changing nutritional conditions challenge microbes and shape their evolutionary optimization. Here, we used real-time metabolomics to investigate the role of glycogen in dynamic physiological adaptation Escherichia coli fluctuating nutrients following carbon starvation. After depletion environmental glucose, found significant metabolic activity remaining, which was linked rapid utilization intracellular glycogen. Glycogen depleted by 80% within minutes glucose starvation similarly replenished availability. These fast time scales correspond short-term benefits that provided cells undergoing various transitions. Cells capable utilizing exhibited shorter lag times than mutants when starved between periods exposure different sources. The ability utilize also important for transition planktonic biofilm lifestyles enabled increased uptake during pulses limited While wild-type mutant strains comparable growth rates steady environments, deficient grew more poorly environments fluctuated on minute availability Taken together, these results highlight an underappreciated rapidly providing energy changing thereby increasing survival competition capabilities under nutrient-poor conditions.IMPORTANCE Nothing is constant life, particular have adapt frequent changes. single-cell imaging demonstrate internal storage polymer plays a crucial such adaptations. conditions.