Highlights•CRISPR–Cas systems provide adaptive defense against invading genetic
elements.•Controlling CRISPR–Cas activity enables optimization of the immune …

In nature, microorganisms are constantly exposed to multiple viral infections and thus have
developed many strategies to survive phage attack and invasion by foreign DNA. One of …

Tolerance and persistence are superficially similar phenomena by which bacteria survive
bactericidal antibiotics. It is assumed that the same physiology underlies survival of …

Though bacteriophages (phages) are known to play a crucial role in bacterial fitness and
virulence, our knowledge about the genetic basis of their interaction, cross-resistance and …

Chlamydia bacteria are obligate intracellular organisms with a phylum-defining biphasic
developmental cycle that is intrinsically linked to its ability to cause disease. The progression …

Bacterial RNA polymerases must associate with a σ factor to bind promoter DNA and initiate
transcription. There are two families of σ factor: the σ70 family and the σ54 family. Members …

Glutamine synthetase (GS) is the key enzyme of nitrogen assimilation induced under
nitrogen limiting conditions. The carbon skeleton of glutamate and glutamine, 2 …

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is a common foodborne
pathogen which is frequently used as the reference strain for Salmonella. Investigating the …

Abstract σ factors are considered as positive regulators of gene expression. Here we reveal
the opposite, inhibitory role of these proteins. We used a combination of molecular biology …

σN (also σ54) is an alternative sigma factor subunit of the RNA polymerase complex that
regulates the expression of genes from many different ontological groups. It is broadly …