Cheating Death by Ribosome Hibernation

Many bacterial species including the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus have evolved a vast diversity of mechanisms to adapt quickly to changing environmental conditions such as temperature fluctuations or altered nutrient availability. This study shows that the ribosome hibernation, a widespread phenomenon among bacteria, is critical for S. aureus adaptation to cold and glucose metabolism. Ribosome hibernation-deficient cells exhibit low viability both at low temperature and in glucose rich conditions. The primary goal of my projects is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying these adaptation processes mediated by ribosome hibernation