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Opposing effects of final population density and stress on Escherichia coli mutation rate

Channon

Opposing effects of final population density and stress on Escherichia coli mutation rate Thumbnail


Authors



Abstract

Evolution depends on mutations. For an individual genotype, the rate at which mutations arise is known to increase with various stressors (stress-induced mutagenesis-SIM) and decrease at high final population density (density-associated mutation-rate plasticity-DAMP). We hypothesised that these two forms of mutation-rate plasticity would have opposing effects across a nutrient gradient. Here we test this hypothesis, culturing Escherichia coli in increasingly rich media. We distinguish an increase in mutation rate with added nutrients through SIM (dependent on error-prone polymerases Pol IV and Pol V) and an opposing effect of DAMP (dependent on MutT, which removes oxidised G nucleotides). The combination of DAMP and SIM results in a mutation rate minimum at intermediate nutrient levels (which can support 7?×?108?cells?ml-1). These findings demonstrate a strikingly close and nuanced relationship of ecological factors-stress and population density-with mutation, the fuel of all evolution.

Citation

Channon. (2018). Opposing effects of final population density and stress on Escherichia coli mutation rate. ISME Journal, 2981-2987. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-018-0237-3

Acceptance Date Jun 20, 2018
Publication Date Dec 1, 2018
Journal ISME Journal
Print ISSN 1751-7362
Publisher Nature Publishing Group
Pages 2981-2987
DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-018-0237-3
Publisher URL http://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-018-0237-3

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