Protein that delays cell division in bacteria may lead to the identification of new antibiotics
Bacteria adjust to wide fluctuations in food supply by controlling how big they get and how often they divide. Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have just worked out the control system E. coli use to delay division so they can bulk up when food suddently becomes abundant. What can be delayed can also be stopped, so the control system may provide an opportunity to design a new class of antibiotics.