2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Bacterial Phenotype Switching via Large-Scale Chromosome Flip-Flop Inversion
| Project/Area Number |
23570009
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Genetics/Genome dynamics
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| Research Institution | Kitasato University |
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Principal Investigator |
CUI Longzhu 北里大学, 付置研究所, 部長補佐 (50306932)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2011 – 2013
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| Keywords | ゲノム構築 / ゲノム再編 / ゲノム維持 / ゲノム逆位 / 表現型スイッチング |
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| Research Abstract |
In this study found that a bacterium that generates a reversible, large-scale inversion of its chromosome (about half of its total genome) at high frequencies of up to once every four generations. This inversion switches on or off bacterial phenotypes, including colony morphology, antibiotic susceptibil- ity, hemolytic activity, and expression of dozens of genes. Quan- titative measurements and mathematical analyses indicate that this reversible switching is stochastic but self-organized so as to maintain two forms of stable cell populations (i.e., small colony variant, normal colony variant) as a bet-hedging strategy. Thus, this heritable and reversible genome fluctuation seems to govern the bacterial life cycle; it has a profound impact on the course and outcomes of bacterial infections.
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