In all domains of life, genomes contain epigenetic information superimposed over the
nucleotide sequence. Epigenetic signals control DNA–protein interactions and can cause …

Prokaryotic DNA contains three types of methylation: N6-methyladenine, N4-methylcytosine
and 5-methylcytosine. The lack of tools to analyse the frequency and distribution of …

Molecular genetic research on bacteriophage lambda carried out during its golden age from
the mid-1950s to mid-1980s was critically important in the attainment of our current …

Highlights•Bacterial genomes contain C 5-methyl-cytosine, N 4-methyl-cytosine, and N 6-
methyl-adenine.•Base methylation controls DNA–protein interactions.•DNA methylation …

Oxidative stress, through the production of reactive oxygen species, is a natural
consequence of aerobic metabolism. Escherichia coli has several major regulators activated …

Contrary to the traditional view that bacterial populations are clonal, single-cell analysis
reveals that phenotypic heterogeneity is common in bacteria. Formation of distinct bacterial …

Exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a fact of life for aerobic organisms as well as
anaerobes that experience transient exposure to oxygen. Aerobic bacteria produce them as …

DNA methylation regulates gene expression in many organisms. In eukaryotes, DNA
methylation is associated with gene repression, while it exerts both activating and repressive …

Phase variation yields phenotypic heterogeneity in a clonal population as the result of one of
a limited number of known molecular mechanisms. These include slipped strand mispairing …

Diversity in adaptive responses is common within species and populations, especially when
the heterogeneity of the frequently large populations found in environments is considered …