Environmental conditions define the energetics of bacterial dormancy and its antibiotic susceptibility

Bacterial cells that stop growing but maintain viability and the capability to regrow are termed dormant andhave been shown to transiently tolerate high concentrations of antimicrobials. Links between toleranceand cellular energetics as a possible explanation for the tolerance, have been investigated and haveproduced mixed and seemingly contradictory results. Because dormancy merely indicates growth arrest,which can be induced by various stimuli, we hypothesise that dormant cells may exist in a range ofenergetic states that depend on the environment. To energetically characterise different dormancies, wefirst induce them in a way that results in dormant populations and subsequently measured both of theirmain energy sources, the PMF magnitude and the concentration of ATP. We find that different types ofdormancy exhibit characteristic energetic profiles that vary in level and dynamics. The energetic makeupwas associated with survival to some antibiotics, but not others. Our findings portray dormancy as a statethat is rich in phenotypes with various stress survival capabilities. Because environmental conditionsoutside of the lab often halt or limit microbial growth, a typologisation of dormant states may yield relevantinsights on the survival and evolutionary strategies of these organisms. This is the supporting data for the upcoming publication Leonardo Mancini, Teuta Pilizota (pre-accepted), "Environmental conditions define the energetics of bacterial dormancy and its antibiotic susceptibility", Biophysical journal.