A Stringent Analysis of Polyphosphate Dynamics in Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT

During stress, bacterial cells activate a conserved pathway called the stringent response that promotes survival. Polyphosphates are long chains of inorganic phosphates that modulate this response in diverse bacterial species. In this issue, Michael J. Gray provides an important correction to the model of how polyphosphate accumulation is regulated during the stringent response in Escherichia coli (M. J. Gray, J. Bacteriol, 201e00664-18, 2019, https//doi.org/10.1128/JB.00664-18). With other recent publications, this study provides a revised framework for understanding how bacterial polyphosphate dynamics might be exploited in infection control and industrial applications.