title: Recombination, mutation and the origin of species.
abstract: A major barrier to recombination between bacterial species lies in the mismatch repair system, a complex of proteins that has evolved to proof-read freshly replicated DNA. It now appears that a second system, involving an inducible DNA recombination, repair and mutagenesis pathway, also regulates interspecies recombination, but in a positive way, being required for recombination between Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Thus the rate at which newly emerging species of bacteria diverge can be seen as a balance between a permissive state associated with inducible repair and recombination, and the proof-reading of intermediates in the recombination pathway by the mismatch correction system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, NJ 08544, USA.
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Cox
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004260:DNA Repair; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009154:Mutation; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial