Cold bacteria

Remember how bacteria can adapt to live in many environments over their lifespan? Well this is possible because bacteria like Escherichia coli can survive in a range of temperatures, from the 37°C of our body to the chilly temperatures of the refrigerator! How do bacteria manage to survive even when frozen? What happens when food is conserved by lowering the temperature?Questions like these are important for our safety and for the stability of our food chain. One of the questions that we want to address in our research is how the cell can quickly adapt to temperature changes. What genes and proteins are involved? Which genes are not expressed? Does the stress of a cold shock result in bacteria that are more resistant to future stresses, like the presence of an antibiotic?