Phenotypic heterogeneity can enhance rare-cell survival in 'stress-sensitive' yeast populations.

Individual cells within isogenic microbial cultures exhibit phenotypic heterogeneity, an issue that is attracting intense interest. Heterogeneity could confer benefits, in generating variant subpopulations that may be better equipped to persist during perturbation. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the survival of wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae with that of mutants which are considered stress-sensitive but which, we demonstrate, also have increased heterogeneity.