Adaptive tuning of mutation rates allows fast response to lethal stress in Escherichia coli.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Swings T
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5429094 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Adaptive tuning of mutation rates allows fast response to lethal stress in <i>Escherichia coli</i>.
Swings Toon T Van den Bergh Bram B Wuyts Sander S Oeyen Eline E Voordeckers Karin K Verstrepen Kevin J KJ Fauvart Maarten M Verstraeten Natalie N Michiels Jan J
eLife 20170502
While specific mutations allow organisms to adapt to stressful environments, most changes in an organism's DNA negatively impact fitness. The mutation rate is therefore strictly regulated and often considered a slowly-evolving parameter. In contrast, we demonstrate an unexpected flexibility in cellular mutation rates as a response to changes in selective pressure. We show that hypermutation independently evolves when different <i>Escherichia coli</i> cultures adapt to high ethanol stress. Furthe ...[more]
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