Sex-like DNA exchange in starving bacteria occurs over 100 times more often than spontaneous mutations

AI Summary

Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria found that starvation stress can prompt E. coli to exchange and incorporate DNA using bacteriophages and CRISPR-Cas immunity. The process, which resembles primitive sexual reproduction, occurred more than 100 times as often as spontaneous mutations and may help bacteria adapt to changing conditions.

How do bacteria adapt when resources run low? ISTA researchers have found that, under starvation stress, E. coli can use bacteriophages and CRISPR-Cas immunity to transfer and incorporate DNA, accelerating genetic reshuffling. The process resembles a primitive form of sexual reproduction and may help bacterial populations adapt to changing conditions. The findings were published in Molecular Biology and Evolution.