Infection by bacteriophage lambda: an evolving paradigm for cellular individuality.

Infection by bacteriophage lambda: an evolving paradigm for cellular individuality. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2017 Nov 03;43:9-13 Authors: Golding I Abstract Since the earliest days of molecular biology, bacteriophage lambda has served to illuminate cellular function. Among its many roles, lambda infection is a paradigm for phenotypic heterogeneity among genetically identical cells. Early studies attributed this cellular individuality to random biochemical fluctuations, or 'noise'. More recently, however, attention has turned to the role played by deterministic hidden variables in driving single-cell behavior. Here, I briefly describe how studies in lambda are driving the shift in our understanding of cellular heterogeneity, allowing us to better appreciate the precision at which cells function. PMID: 29107897 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Opinion in Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Curr Opin Microbiol Source Type: research