Remember… BACTERIA never forget!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Certain bacteria can move together in coordinated groups, or swarms. Sometimes, if they swarm once, they’re faster at swarming the next time. As if they REMEMBER! But, HOW do they remember…without a brain?
Souvik Bhattacharyyaswa from the University of Texas at Austin and team investigated.
They grew bacteria with different genetics, and under different environmental conditions. Then, they measured swarming ability by the size of bacterial colonies.
Results?
Altering iron levels in their environment had the biggest effect! Normally, swarming bacteria only remember to form swarms for four generations. At low iron levels, they were likely to remember for up to SEVEN generations. But, extra HIGH levels of iron meant less odds of swarming, but for longer: up to twelve generations later!
Iron is needed for energy and researchers think it helps bacteria respond to changing conditions. Including: antibiotics!
Why can’t my multivitamins work the same way??? (I take THEM in swarms.)
Reference: Bhattacharyya, S., Bhattarai, N., Pfannenstiel, D. M., Wilkins, B., Singh, A., & Harshey, R. M. (2023). A heritable iron memory enables decision-making in Escherichia coli. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 120(48), e2309082120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2309082120