Mutations are fundamental for evolution. For many years it has been thought that mutagenesis occurs only in dividing cells. Now it is clear that mutations arise in non-dividing or slowly dividing microorganisms. Natural populations spend most of the time in stressful environments where their growth rate is highly reduced. Thus, the existence of a mutagenesis process, independent of multiplication (stress-induced mutagenesis, SIM), might have a profound evolutionary role. In the presented paper we review the stateof- the-art in enteric and non-enteric bacteria. We describe different experimental systems as well as the mechanisms and models presented to explain the huge amount of data obtained in more than twenty years of research.
Environmental stress and mutagenesis in enteric and non enteric bacteria
Babudri N;Lancioni H;Achilli A
2012
Abstract
Mutations are fundamental for evolution. For many years it has been thought that mutagenesis occurs only in dividing cells. Now it is clear that mutations arise in non-dividing or slowly dividing microorganisms. Natural populations spend most of the time in stressful environments where their growth rate is highly reduced. Thus, the existence of a mutagenesis process, independent of multiplication (stress-induced mutagenesis, SIM), might have a profound evolutionary role. In the presented paper we review the stateof- the-art in enteric and non-enteric bacteria. We describe different experimental systems as well as the mechanisms and models presented to explain the huge amount of data obtained in more than twenty years of research.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
