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Stress Drives Evolution in E. coli

December 7, 2012
Stress Drives Evolution in E. coli

Scanning electron micrograph of Escherichia coli, grown in culture and adhered to a cover slip.
Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIH

When starved, bacterial cells activate molecular mechanisms that promote mutations. A team led by Dr. Susan Rosenberg at BCM studied and described an elaborate gene network that increases the rate of mutations during the repair of double-stranded DNA in stressed E. coli cells. This work may lead to new drugs that thwart the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Learn more here. BCM Article: Stress Drives Evolution in E. coli

For background, see the presentation and slide set by Dr. Raye L. Alford, entitled “Structures and Functions of Nucleic Acids.”

Additional news stories on bacterial evolution and antibiotic resistance.

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