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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • Microbial lifestyles (e.g., motility, sporulation) are often studied in isolation, hindering a holistic understanding of their life cycles.
  • Understanding how microbes adapt to environmental changes requires examining their entire life cycle and its modular components.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the modular organization of microbial life cycles and its evolutionary implications.
  • To explore the relationship between environmental changes, life cycle modularity, and mosaic evolution in bacteria.

Main Methods:

  • Machine learning was used to reconstruct life cycle progression and gene expression changes in *Bacillus subtilis*.
  • Genomic analysis of over 380 *Bacillales* genomes to identify patterns of life stage conservation and loss.
  • Laboratory evolution experiments with eight *Bacillales* strains and species under conditions favoring colony growth.

Main Results:

  • A timeline of *Bacillus subtilis* life cycle progression revealed a modular organization.
  • Analysis of *Bacillales* genomes showed that life stages like motility and sporulation are conserved or lost as discrete units (mosaic evolution).
  • Experimental evolution led to rapid, parallel losses of the sporulation stage across multiple species, driven by mutations in a shared global regulator.

Conclusions:

  • A life cycle perspective is crucial for understanding microbial adaptation and evolution.
  • Life cycle modularity influences both gene regulation and evolutionary trajectories.
  • Mosaic conservation of life stages reflects adaptation to environmental shifts, potentially rendering certain stages obsolete.