Coevolution with viruses drives the evolution of bacterial mutation rates

Csaba Pal (), María D. Maciá, Antonio Oliver, Ira Schachar and Angus Buckling ()
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Csaba Pal: University of Oxford
María D. Maciá: Servicio de Microbiologia and Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Son Dureta, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud (IUNICS), 07014, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Antonio Oliver: Servicio de Microbiologia and Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Son Dureta, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud (IUNICS), 07014, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Ira Schachar: University of Oxford
Angus Buckling: University of Oxford

Nature, 2007, vol. 450, issue 7172, 1079-1081

Abstract: Driven by competition Bacterial cultures in changing environments sometimes accumulate 'mutator' strains, with elevated mutation rates, presumably to enhance their potential for adaptive evolution. This can often happen in clinical situations. If they are to persist, mutators need a consistently changing environment. Coevolution with parasites, such as viruses, is a scenario that can provide that. Experiments with Pseudomonas fluorescens now show that coevolution with a naturally occurring bacteriophage significantly increases bacterial mutation rates — and results in a higher probability of phage extinction. Targeting phage populations might therefore be a way of weakening selection for mutator bacteria in clinical infections.

Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06350

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