title: Rapid evolution of diminished transformability in Acinetobacter baylyi.
abstract: The reason for genetic exchange remains a crucial question in evolutionary biology. Acinetobacter baylyi strain ADP1 is a highly competent and recombinogenic bacterium. We compared the parallel evolution of wild-type and engineered noncompetent lineages of A. baylyi in the laboratory. If transformability were to result in an evolutionary benefit, it was expected that competent lineages would adapt more rapidly than noncompetent lineages. Instead, regardless of competency, lineages adapted to the same extent under several laboratory conditions. Furthermore, competent lineages repeatedly evolved a much lower level of transformability. The loss of competency may be due to a selective advantage or the irreversible transfer of loss-of-function alleles of genes required for transformation within the competent population.
authors.affiliation: Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology and Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd., BCC-379, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. jbacher@scripps.edu
authors.forename: Jamie M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bacher
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Metzgar
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: de Crécy-Lagard
mesh_terms: D000150:Acinetobacter / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005838:Genotype; D009154:Mutation; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D013997:Time Factors; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial