Dormancy: Illuminating How a Microbial Sleeping Beauty Awakens

Nitrogen limitation induces dormancy in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis. During dormancy, the bacterium neither photosynthesizes nor divides, yet it maintains low-level metabolic activity. A new study shows how provision of a nitrogen source initiates a regimented genetic program that initially kick-starts metabolism and ultimately photosynthesis.