Bacteria have a memory of interactions with their hosts

Remember the game of “Memory” you played as a kid, where you had to match pairs of cards stacked face down? Well, humans aren’t the only ones who can play this game – bacteria can also remember, or so suggests a recent study led by Dr. Ilana Kolodkin-Gal from the Scojen Institute for Synthetic Biology at Reichman University.

No, these bacteria aren’t flexing their tiny brains to match pairs of cards. Instead, they’re remembering something far more crucial to their survival: how to form beneficial relationships with their hosts – be it a plant or a human.

This is particularly true for the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, which is widely utilized as a probiotic and a biological control agent.

Bacteria memory spans generations

These bacteria can recall the required genes associated with colonization and symbiosis with their host even after they’ve been disconnected from the host.

This uncanny ability, which can last for generations, empowers the bacteria to resettle with a new host swiftly and more efficiently than those bacteria that haven’t had any previous stable interaction with a host.

But, what’s the secret behind this bacteria’s exceptional memory? Besides the usual suspects – genes – the answer also lies in the circumstances under which these genes are activated.

The experts discovered that the genes with multigenerational inheritance patterns showcased resistance to stress, emphasizing the critical role of the defenses developed by the bacteria during their colonization.

Such multigenerational benefits could explain why the association between beneficial bacteria and their hosts remains stable over time. The research team speculates that similar mechanisms could play a role in the human gut, where beneficial probiotic bacteria from the same group ensure long-term protection against disease.

Implications for probiotic use

The findings from Dr. Kolodkin-Gal’s research on Bacillus subtilis have significant implications for the use of probiotics in both agriculture and healthcare.

Understanding how these bacteria remember and react to their hosts can lead to more effective probiotic formulations.

In agriculture, this knowledge can improve the stability and efficacy of beneficial microbes applied to crops, enhancing plant health and yield.

In human health, it suggests that selecting probiotic strains with a proven history of engagement with the human gut could lead to more robust outcomes in managing gut health and preventing diseases.

Future research directions

As the field of microbial memory continues to grow, future research will likely focus on decoding the specific genetic mechanisms that allow for memory and adaptation in various bacterial species.

Exploring how environmental factors influence these memories could provide insights into not only bacterial behavior but also their interactions with different hosts.

Additionally, studying other microbial communities beyond Bacillus subtilis may reveal universal principles of memory and association that extend to the human microbiome, ultimately enhancing therapeutic strategies for a variety of health conditions.

Bacteria memory for a better future

This intriguing study was carried out with the support of Jonathan Friedman’s group from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Asaph Aharoni’s group from the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Also contributing were Dr. Omri Gilhar from the Weizmann Institute of Science and Dr. Liat Rahamim-Ben Navi from the Scojen Institute at Reichman University.

Dr. Ilana Kolodkin-Gal elaborated on the broader implications of the study.

“Our research findings open the door to the manipulation of the identified genes to create synthetic circuits with memory for agricultural and industrial applications, and to improve the engineering of probiotic bacteria, whose average lifespan is about 30 minutes. We aim for them to act in accordance with the signal they receive for hours or even days.”

The potential applications are significant. Picture a world with even more effective probiotics, engineered with a memory that makes them work longer and better. Or consider the agricultural industry, which could utilize bacteria with a lasting memory to enhance crop health and productivity.

The possibilities are as vast as they are exciting. While this is just the beginning, the journey to unlock the full potential of these memory-endowed bacteria is well underway.

The study is published in the journal Microbiological Research.

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