March 21, 2022

Research from the Freddolino and Jakob labs is featured in Scientific American

Ancient molecule helps bacteria untangle genetic activity

An article in the April 2022 issue of Scientific American highlights recent studies published in Science Advances and The EMBO Journal by Ursula Jakob, Peter Freddolino, and their coworkers. Their research reveals that interactions between DNA-binding proteins and polyphosphate (polyP), an ancient and ubiquitous molecule, help to switch bacterial genes on and off, adding to evidence that epigenetic regulation is important in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. This new understanding of bacterial gene regulation may contribute to the development of novel antibiotics and to the optimization of genetically engineered bacteria for biotechnology. 

"Ancient molecule helps bacteria untangle genetic activity" in Scientific American

“Polyphosphate drives bacterial heterochromatin formation” in Science Advances

"Distinct heterochromatin-like domains promote transcriptional memory and silence parasitic genetic elements in bacteria" in The EMBO Journal

Researchers in the Jakob and Freddolino labs discovered a polyP-dependent mechanism by which liquid-liquid phase separation of heterochromatin-like domains silences potentially harmful genetic elements in E. coli. This may represent the first example of a broader paradigm for gene silencing in bacteria.