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Transposable elements as mutator genes in evolution.

L Chao, C Vargas, B B Spear

    Nature
    |June 16, 1983
    PubMed
    Summary
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    Transposable elements like transposon Tn10 can provide an evolutionary advantage to Escherichia coli in competition. This benefit arises from increased mutation rates, similar to mutator genes, enabling adaptation.

    Area of Science:

    • Microbiology
    • Evolutionary Biology
    • Genetics

    Background:

    • Mutator genes in Escherichia coli confer evolutionary advantages in chemostat competition by increasing mutation rates.
    • Transposable elements, such as transposon Tn5, have been previously shown to increase E. coli fitness in chemostats, but the mechanism remains unclear.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate whether the transposable element Tn10 confers a similar evolutionary advantage to E. coli in chemostat competition.
    • To determine if the advantage conferred by Tn10 is linked to increased mutation rates and transposition events.

    Main Methods:

    • Competition experiments in chemostats using E. coli strains with and without the transposon Tn10.
    • Monitoring of strain frequencies and analysis of Tn10 transposition events within the host genome.

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    Main Results:

    • Transposon Tn10 confers a frequency-dependent evolutionary advantage to E. coli in chemostats.
    • Tn10 transposition, likely involving IS10 sequences, occurs when Tn10 strains are favored and insert into a specific genomic site.
    • No Tn10 transpositions were detected when the Tn10 population lost in competition.

    Conclusions:

    • Transposon Tn10 enhances the evolutionary fitness of E. coli by increasing the host bacterium's mutation rate.
    • The observed advantage is frequency-dependent and mediated by the mutagenic activity of Tn10, leading to adaptive mutations.