This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sung, H.-M. Articles by Yasbin, R. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sung, H.-M. Articles by Yasbin, R. E.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, October 2002, p. 5641-5653, Vol. 184, No. 20
0021-9193/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.184.20.5641-5653.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Adaptive, or Stationary-Phase, Mutagenesis, a Component of Bacterial Differentiation in Bacillus subtilis

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080

Received 28 February 2002/ Accepted 17 July 2002

Adaptive (stationary-phase) mutagenesis occurs in the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Furthermore, taking advantage of B. subtilis as a paradigm for the study of prokaryotic differentiation and development, we have shown that this type of mutagenesis is subject to regulation involving at least two of the genes that are involved in the regulation of post-exponential phase prokaryotic differentiation, i.e., comA and comK. On the other hand, a functional RecA protein was not required for this type of mutagenesis. The results seem to suggest that a small subpopulation(s) of the culture is involved in adaptive mutagenesis and that this subpopulation(s) is hypermutable. The existence of such a hypermutable subpopulation(s) raises important considerations with respect to evolution, the development of specific mutations, the nature of bacterial populations, and the level of communication among bacteria in an ecological niche.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Ibarra, J. R., Orozco, A. D., Rojas, J. A., Lopez, K., Setlow, P., Yasbin, R. E., Pedraza-Reyes, M. (2008). Role of the Nfo and ExoA Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonucleases in Repair of DNA Damage during Outgrowth of Bacillus subtilis Spores. J. Bacteriol. 190: 2031-2038 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ross, C., Pybus, C., Pedraza-Reyes, M., Sung, H.-M., Yasbin, R. E., Robleto, E. (2006). Novel Role of mfd: Effects on Stationary-Phase Mutagenesis in Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 188: 7512-7520 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Pedraza-Reyes, M., Yasbin, R. E. (2004). Contribution of the Mismatch DNA Repair System to the Generation of Stationary-Phase-Induced Mutants of Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 186: 6485-6491 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Tegova, R., Tover, A., Tarassova, K., Tark, M., Kivisaar, M. (2004). Involvement of Error-Prone DNA Polymerase IV in Stationary-Phase Mutagenesis in Pseudomonas putida. J. Bacteriol. 186: 2735-2744 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Maughan, H., Nicholson, W. L. (2004). Stochastic Processes Influence Stationary-Phase Decisions in Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 186: 2212-2214 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bringel, F., Hubert, J.-C. (2003). Extent of Genetic Lesions of the Arginine and Pyrimidine Biosynthetic Pathways in Lactobacillus plantarum, L. paraplantarum, L. pentosus, and L. casei: Prevalence of CO2-Dependent Auxotrophs and Characterization of Deficient arg Genes in L. plantarum. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 2674-2683 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Sung, H.-M., Yeamans, G., Ross, C. A., Yasbin, R. E. (2003). Roles of YqjH and YqjW, Homologs of the Escherichiacoli UmuC/DinB or Y Superfamily of DNA Polymerases, in Stationary-Phase Mutagenesis and UV-Induced Mutagenesis of Bacillussubtilis. J. Bacteriol. 185: 2153-2160 [Abstract] [Full Text]