Why do bacteria engage in homologous recombination?

TY - JOUR

T1 - Why do bacteria engage in homologous recombination?

AU - Vos, M.

N1 - Reporting year: 2009 Metis note: 4584;CTE; TME ; ME; file:///L:/Endnotedatabases/NIOOPUB/pdfs/PDFS2009\Vos_ea_4584.pdf

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - Microbiologists have long recognized that the uptake and incorporation of homologous DNA from outside the cell is a common feature of bacteria, with important implications for their evolution. However, the exact reasons why bacteria engage in homologous recombination remain elusive. This Opinion article aims to reinvigorate the debate by examining the costs and benefits that homologous recombination could engender in natural populations of bacteria. It specifically focuses on the hypothesis that homologous recombination is selectively maintained because the genetic variation it generates improves the response of bacterial populations to natural selection, analogous to sex in eukaryotes.

AB - Microbiologists have long recognized that the uptake and incorporation of homologous DNA from outside the cell is a common feature of bacteria, with important implications for their evolution. However, the exact reasons why bacteria engage in homologous recombination remain elusive. This Opinion article aims to reinvigorate the debate by examining the costs and benefits that homologous recombination could engender in natural populations of bacteria. It specifically focuses on the hypothesis that homologous recombination is selectively maintained because the genetic variation it generates improves the response of bacterial populations to natural selection, analogous to sex in eukaryotes.

U2 - 10.1016/j.tim.2009.03.001

DO - 10.1016/j.tim.2009.03.001

M3 - Article

VL - 17

SP - 226

EP - 232

JO - Trends in Microbiology

JF - Trends in Microbiology

SN - 0966-842X

IS - 6

ER -