title: Re-examining the role and random nature of phase variation.
abstract: Phase variation in bacteria is often considered a random process that has evolved to facilitate immune evasion in a host. Here, alternative biological roles for this process are presented and discussed, incorporating recent studies on nonpathogenic and commensal bacterial species. Furthermore, the integration of phase variation into bacterial regulatory networks and the relevance of this for considering phase variation as a random process are reviewed. Novel approaches are needed to study phase variation and its biological roles, but the insights obtained can contribute significantly to our understanding of the dynamic behaviour of bacterial populations and their interactions with the environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Immunology and Infection Unit, University of York and the Hull York Medical School, York, UK.
authors.forename: Marjan W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: van der Woude
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins