Bacterial growth rate in populations and single cells.

Bacterial growth rate varies with environmental and genetic factors, with (p)ppGpp playing a key role in coordinating nutrient signals and growth in Escherichia coli.

• Why it matters: Understanding how growth rate is regulated is crucial because it influences bacterial physiology, adaptation, and responses to environmental changes, yet the mechanisms remain complex and not fully elucidated.
• What they did: The authors review the history of bacterial growth measurement, explore the links between nutrient availability, macromolecular synthesis, and growth rate, and focus on (p)ppGpp as a central regulatory molecule, emphasizing single-cell heterogeneity.
• The result: This work highlights the importance of cell-autonomous control in growth regulation, enabling better insights into bacterial physiology, heterogeneity, and the interplay between growth and cellular processes.