Spontaneous Reversions of an Evolutionary Trait Loss Reveal Regulators of a Small RNA That Controls Multicellular Development in Myxobacteria.

ABSTRACT: Lost traits can reevolve, but the probability of trait reversion depends partly on a trait's genetic complexity. Myxobacterial fruiting body development is a complex trait controlled by the small RNA (sRNA) Pxr, which blocks development under conditions of nutrient abundance. In developmentally proficient strains of Myxococcus xanthus, starvation relaxes the inhibition by Pxr, thereby allowing development to proceed. In contrast, the lab-evolved strain OC does not develop because it fails to relay an early starvation signal that alleviates inhibition by Pxr. A descendant of OC, strain PX, previously reevolved developmental proficiency via a mutation in pxr that inactivates its function. A single-colony screen was used to test whether reversion of OC to developmental proficiency occurs only

SUBMITTER: Yu YN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5105895 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature