**Author details**

active metabolisms should be maintained in fractions of the cell population. These active metabolisms are thought to lead to the selection of a dominant mutant and generate genetic

Further analysis of the LTSP *in vitro* seems to be important for understanding the life cycles of bacterial flora or biofilms and for elucidating the mechanisms of bacterial evolution. In addi-

This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, MEXT/JSPS Kakenhi (25250028) and the Advanced Low Carbon Technology Research and Development Program, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). This work was partially performed as collaborative research in the Asian Core Program and in the Core to Core Program, which was supported by the Scientific Cooperation Program agreed by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) and universi-

tion, fundamental mechanisms for LTSP formation might be targets for drug design.

396 *Escherichia coli* Escherichia coli - Recent Advances on Physiology, Pathogenesis and Biotechnological Applications - Recent Advances on Physiology, Pathogenesis and Biotechnological Applications

diversity.

**Acknowledgements**

ties involved in the program.

ALD apoptosis-like death CFU colony-forming unit

LPS lipopolysaccharide

MMR mismatch repair

sRNAs small RNAs

TA toxin-antitoxin

VAC viable and culturable

VBNC viable but nonculturable

ESR envelope stress response EDF extracellular death factor

LTSP long-term stationary phase

OMPs outer membrane proteins PCD programmed cell death ROS reactive oxygen species

GASP growth advantage in stationary phase

**Abbreviations**

Tomoyuki Kosaka1,2, Masayuki Murata1 and Mamoru Yamada1,2\*

\*Address all correspondence to: m-yamada@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp

1 Department of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan

2 Research Center for Thermotolerant Microbial Resources, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan
