Determinants of phase variation rate and the fitness implications of differing rates for bacterial pathogens and commensals

• Published in: FEMS microbiology reviews Vol. 33; no. 3; pp. 504 - 520
• Main Author: Bayliss, Christopher D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.05.2009; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Antigenic Variation; Antigens, Bacterial - biosynthesis; Antigens, Bacterial - genetics; Antigens, Bacterial - immunology; Bacteria; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Commensals; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA biosynthesis; DNA methylation; DNA repair; DNA, Bacterial - metabolism; Environmental regulations; Epidemiology; Epigenetics; Fitness; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genomes; Heterogeneity; Homologous recombination; Homology; localized hypermutation; Methylase; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Nucleotide sequence; Ordination; pathogenic bacteria; phase variation; Phase variations; Phenotypes; Pili; Recombination, Genetic; repetitive DNA; Switching; pathogenic bacteria; repetitive DNA; localized hypermutation; phase variation; Pathogenicity; Bacteria; Review; Fitness

Phase variation (PV) of surface molecules and other phenotypes is a major adaptive strategy of pathogenic and commensal bacteria. Phase variants are produced at high frequencies and in a reversible manner by hypermutation or hypervariable methylation in specific regions of the genome. The major mech...