Harshey Lab Twitter
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Finally, motility plays an important role in assisting the mutator phenotype to 'surf' to the edge. A 'phenotype surfing' model is proposed, explaining why chances of survival of even unfit mutants are high at the edge due to decreased competition / increased genetic drift. End
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Fifth, high efflux produces high ROS and cell death, which releases a 'necrosignal' that stimulates efflux. Thus, the cycle of efflux - ROS - cell death - necrosignaling - more efflux, contributes to the accelerated evolution. 4/
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Third, this link was validated experimentally in the lab and corroborated in the real world by examining a clinical 'resistome' database. Fourth, inhibitors that target efflux decrease evolvability to antibiotic resistance. 3/
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First, cells at the edge are engaged in high-efflux, likely to obtain iron. Second, there is a genetic link between high efflux pump activity and downregulation of specific DNA repair genes in the MMR and BER pathways, producing the mutator phenotype. 2/
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This work is Souvik B's brainchild. It demonstrates the existence of an unusual ecological niche at the edge of E. coli swarms (also true of B. subtilis and P. aeruginosa) where evolution is accelerated. Several phenomenon converge to create this high-evolvability niche. 1/ t.co/r5zkDrkPSc
