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Related Concept Videos

Mutations in Microorganisms01:18

Mutations in Microorganisms

155
Mutations are heritable changes in an organism’s genome involving alterations in the base sequence of DNA or RNA. These changes can influence cellular processes and phenotypic traits, potentially transforming the unaltered wild type into a mutant form. Such changes, termed forward mutations, are pivotal in shaping the genetic diversity of organisms.RNA viruses exhibit the highest mutation rates due to the absence of robust proofreading mechanisms during genome replication. In contrast,...
155
Transduction01:16

Transduction

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Among the three main modes of HGT—transformation, conjugation, and transduction—transduction is unique in that it is mediated by bacteriophages, or bacterial viruses.Transduction occurs in two ways. Generalized transduction occurs during the lytic cycle of a bacteriophage infection. In this process, bacteriophages infect bacterial cells, replicate within them, and ultimately cause cell lysis, releasing newly assembled virions. Occasionally, random fragments of the bacterial genome...
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Viral Mutations00:36

Viral Mutations

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A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material...
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Mismatch Repair01:20

Mismatch Repair

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Organisms are capable of detecting and fixing nucleotide mismatches that occur during DNA replication. This sophisticated process requires identifying the new strand and replacing the erroneous bases with correct nucleotides. Mismatch repair is coordinated by many proteins in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
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Mutations01:35

Mutations

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Mutations are changes in the sequence of DNA. These changes can occur spontaneously or they can be induced by exposure to environmental factors. Mutations can be characterized in a number of different ways: whether and how they alter the amino acid sequence of the protein, whether they occur over a small or large area of DNA, and whether they occur in somatic cells or germline cells.
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
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Genome Copying Errors02:46

Genome Copying Errors

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DNA replication is a well-evolved process that copies millions of base pairs with high fidelity during each cell division. Occasionally a wrong base or a long stretch of wrong bases may get added to the daughter strands. If the errors are left unchecked, cells might accumulate several mutations that might endanger their  survival. Therefore, the copying errors are checked and repaired at three levels.
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Updated: Oct 2, 2025

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli
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Mutators Enhance Adaptive Micro-Evolution in Pathogenic Microbes.

Kylie J Boyce1

  • 1School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.

Microorganisms
|February 25, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Microbial pathogens can increase their mutation rate through DNA mismatch repair (MMR) defects, creating "mutators." These mutators accelerate adaptation and survival in hosts, aiding in antibiotic resistance and immune evasion.

Keywords:
adaptationantibiotic resistancegenotypic diversitymicro-evolutionmismatch repairmsh2mutSmutatorpathogenphenotypic diversity

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Microbial adaptation to hosts relies on genetic diversity, generated by mutations.
  • Mutations arise from DNA damage or replication errors, necessitating a balance between diversity and genomic integrity.
  • Pathogens can manipulate mutation rates to enhance adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in understanding phenotypic and genotypic changes in mutator strains.
  • To focus on mutators with defects in the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway.
  • To examine mutators in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogens.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent scientific literature on microbial mutators.
  • Analysis of genetic and phenotypic alterations in MMR deficient strains.
  • Comparison of mutator characteristics in prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogens.

Main Results:

  • Mutator strains, often due to MMR defects, exhibit elevated mutation rates.
  • These mutations facilitate rapid adaptation, antibiotic resistance, and immune evasion in pathogens.
  • Mutators display significant phenotypic and genotypic changes enabling survival in host environments.

Conclusions:

  • MMR mutators are crucial for pathogen adaptation and evolution within hosts.
  • Understanding mutator mechanisms provides insights into microbial pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets.
  • Targeting MMR pathways could be a strategy to control pathogen adaptation and virulence.