Aspects of cellular biology of the bacterial stationary phase: programmed cell death and regulation by guanosine tetraphosphate

The paper discusses (1) programmed cell death, the phenomenon typical of the stationary phase of bacteria occurring under unfavorable conditions, (2) its pleiotropic regulation by guanosine tetraphosphate, and (3) the conception of "addiction module," a specific genetic system responsible for the cell choice between survival and death under unfavorable conditions. The shortcomings of the proposed interpretation of the problem at hand are considered and the necessity of their further investigation is substantiated.