Sex-like DNA exchange in starving bacteria occurs over 100 times more often than spontaneous mutations

What happened

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 findings were published in Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Key facts

• ISTA researchers have — found: that, under starvation stress, E