Sex-like DNA exchange in starving bacteria occurs over 100 times more often than spontaneous mutations
Image: Phys.org
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- How do bacteria adapt when resources run low? ISTA researchers have found that, under starvation stress, E. coli can use bacteriophages and CRISPR-Cas immunity to transfer and incorporate DNA, accelerating genetic reshuffling. The process resembles a primitive form of sexual reproduction and may…