A tradeoff between bacteriophage resistance and bacterial motility is mediated by the Rcs phosphorelay in Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: Across the tree of life, pleiotropy is thought to constrain adaptation through evolutionary tradeoffs. However, few examples of pleiotropy exist that are well explained at the genetic level, especially for pleiotropy that is mediated by multiple genes. Here, we describe a set of pleiotropic mutations that mediate two key fitness components in bacteria: parasite resistance and motility. We subjected Escherichia coli to strong selection by phage U136B to obtain 27 independent mucoid mutants. Mucoidy is a phenotype that results from excess exopolysaccharide and can act as a barrier against viral infection but can also interfere with other cellular functions. We quantified the mutants' phage resistance using efficiency of plaquing assays and swimming motility using swim agar plates, and

SUBMITTER: Burmeister AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11541549 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature