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. 2003 Aug;164(4):1271–1277. doi: 10.1093/genetics/164.4.1271

Bacterial evolution through the selective loss of beneficial Genes. Trade-offs in expression involving two loci.

Erik R Zinser 1, Dominique Schneider 1, Michel Blot 1, Roberto Kolter 1
PMCID: PMC1462639  PMID: 12930738

Abstract

The loss of preexisting genes or gene activities during evolution is a major mechanism of ecological specialization. Evolutionary processes that can account for gene loss or inactivation have so far been restricted to one of two mechanisms: direct selection for the loss of gene activities that are disadvantageous under the conditions of selection (i.e., antagonistic pleiotropy) and selection-independent genetic drift of neutral (or nearly neutral) mutations (i.e., mutation accumulation). In this study we demonstrate with an evolved strain of Escherichia coli that a third, distinct mechanism exists by which gene activities can be lost. This selection-dependent mechanism involves the expropriation of one gene's upstream regulatory element by a second gene via a homologous recombination event. Resulting from this genetic exchange is the activation of the second gene and a concomitant inactivation of the first gene. This gene-for-gene expression tradeoff provides a net fitness gain, even if the forfeited activity of the first gene can play a positive role in fitness under the conditions of selection.

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Selected References

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