Putrescine controls the formation of Escherichia coli persister cells tolerant to aminoglycoside netilmicin.

Persisters are suggested to be the products of a phenotypic variability that are quasi-dormant forms of regular bacterial cells highly tolerant to antibiotics. Our previous investigations revealed that a decrease in antibiotic tolerance of Escherichia coli cells could be reached through the inhibition of key enzymes of polyamine synthesis (putrescine, spermidine). We therefore assumed that polyamines could be involved in persister cell formation.