Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Libby E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5773525 | biostudies-other | 2018 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Libby Eric E Driscoll William W WW Ratcliff William C WC
Scientific reports 20180118 1
Programmed cell death (PCD) occurs in both unicellular and multicellular organisms. While PCD plays a key role in the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms, explaining why single-celled organisms would evolve to actively commit suicide has been far more challenging. Here, we explore the potential for PCD to act as an accessory to microbial bet-hedging strategies that utilize stochastic phenotype switching. We consider organisms that face unpredictable and recurring disasters, in ...[more]