Applications of serine/threonine 18 protein kinases (STPK): A bus for dormancy exit

Abstract

As the response to unfavorable growth conditions, bacteria transform into the dormant state with the concomitant formation of the specialized dormant forms/structure characterized by low metabolic activity and resistance to hostile conditions. Such dormant cells can be reactivated under the influence of several factors including proteins of such as muropeptides, Resuscitation promoting factor (Rpf) and STPKs family, which possess peptidoglycan hydrolase activity were considered to belong to the group of the autocrine growth factors of the bacteria. Remarkable interest toward Rpf-STPKs family is determined by its participation in resuscitation of the dormant forms of various bacteria and their genes, what in turn into its application in microbial processes and in biotechnology such as breaking bacterial/endospore dormancy, in host pathogen interaction, in depression of neurons, in cell shape control and cell division etc.