While most genes of E. coli can be recognized by an RNAP with one and only one type of sigma factor (e.g. sigma 70), a few genes (~ 5%) have what is called a “dual sigma factor preference”, that is, they can respond to two different sigma factors, as reported in RegulonDB. The most common ones are those promoters that can respond to both sigma 70 and to sigma 38 (iIlustrated in the figure) . Studies of the dynamics of these genes showed that when the cells enter stationary growth they are almost as induced as those genes that have preference for σ38 alone. This induction level was shown to be predictable from their promoter sequence. A model of their dynamics is shown in the figure. In the future, these promoters may become useful tools in synthetic genetic constructs in E. coli.