title: Simple sequence repeats (microsatellites): mutational mechanisms and contributions to bacterial pathogenesis. A meeting review.
abstract: This review summarises the presentations and discussions that took place during a European Science Foundation-funded workshop whose purpose was to gain current perspectives on the mutational mechanisms of simple sequence repeats and the contribution of localised hypermutation in such repeats to bacterial pathogenesis. In vitro biophysical and biochemical assays of mutational mechanisms were covered as well as genetic studies in various eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. Presentations on bacterial pathogenesis elaborated investigations of the use of repeats for typing of strains, epidemiological investigations of mutation rates and functions of loci whose expression is controlled by simple sequence repeats. This review tabulates current perspectives on the cis- and trans-acting factors for mutation of simple sequence repeats and the orientations of mononucleotide repeats in some bacterial species that utilise repeats for adaptation.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Infectious Diseases Group, Weatherall Institute for Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK. cbayliss@hammer.imm.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Bayliss
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.forename: E Richard
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Moxon
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005787:Gene Frequency; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D005819:Genetic Markers; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009154:Mutation; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers