Subpopulation-level transcriptome analysis in Streptococcus mutans

Streptococcus mutans induces genetic competence and autolysis in a sub-population of cells via cell-to-cell communication. These phenotypic heterogeneities contribute to the survival of the species through the acquisition of new traits and extracellular DNA-dependent biofilm formation.However, many of the factors associated with phenotypic heterogeneity remain unknown. This project was performed to explore the causes of phenotypic heterogeneity within a genetically homogeneous cell population.