Bacteria need a high degree of genetic stability to maintain their species identities over long evolutionary times while retaining some mutability to adapt to the changing environment.It is a long unanswered question ...Bacteria need a high degree of genetic stability to maintain their species identities over long evolutionary times while retaining some mutability to adapt to the changing environment.It is a long unanswered question that how bacteria reconcile these seemingly contradictory biological properties.We hypothesized that certain mechanisms must maintain a dynamic balance between genetic stability and mutability for the survival and evolution of bacterial species.To identify such mechanisms,we analyzed bacterial genomes,focusing on the Salmonella mismatch repair(MMR)system.We found that the MMR gene mutL functions as a genetic switch through a slipped-strand mispairing mechanism,modulating and maintaining a dynamic balance between genetic stability and mutability during bacterial evolution.This mechanism allows bacteria to maintain their phylogenetic status,while also adapting to changing environments by acquiring novel traits.In this review,we outline the history of research into this genetic switch,from its discovery to the latest findings,and discuss its potential roles in the genomic evolution of bacteria.展开更多
基金supported by a Heilongjiang Innovation Endowment Award for graduate studies(YJSCX2012-197HLJ)to Tang Lea grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC30970078)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province to Liu GuiRongthe National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC30970119,81030029,81271786,NSFC-NIH 81161120416)to Liu ShuLin
文摘Bacteria need a high degree of genetic stability to maintain their species identities over long evolutionary times while retaining some mutability to adapt to the changing environment.It is a long unanswered question that how bacteria reconcile these seemingly contradictory biological properties.We hypothesized that certain mechanisms must maintain a dynamic balance between genetic stability and mutability for the survival and evolution of bacterial species.To identify such mechanisms,we analyzed bacterial genomes,focusing on the Salmonella mismatch repair(MMR)system.We found that the MMR gene mutL functions as a genetic switch through a slipped-strand mispairing mechanism,modulating and maintaining a dynamic balance between genetic stability and mutability during bacterial evolution.This mechanism allows bacteria to maintain their phylogenetic status,while also adapting to changing environments by acquiring novel traits.In this review,we outline the history of research into this genetic switch,from its discovery to the latest findings,and discuss its potential roles in the genomic evolution of bacteria.
