self-mutation Tag

Laboratory Equipment: Monday, April 3rd 2017 https://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2017/04/researchers-uncover-clue-about-how-tiny-microbes-self-mutate

Researchers just discovered a genetic element that enables a group of unidentified microorganisms to self-mutate. Researchers found genetic elements, called diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs), that enable the microbes to target their own genes for accelerated mutation. They found that a majority

of ac certain class of Archaea, as well as some yet-to-be-characterized categories of organisms closely related to bacteria, appear to have DGRs. The DGRs target the nucleotide adenine to initiate a new mutation. Much is still unknown about the newly discovered microorganisms.

This ties in with a lot of subjects that we have talked about in class, especially microbial evolution, because this shows how fast evolution and adaptation occurs in microbes.

I did find this story very interesting, and although much is still unknown about this subject, i think the article gave sufficient evidence and facts in order for the reader to understand the concept. I thought this was very interesting and i look forward to seeing further research on this subject.

The biggest question I had after reading this was, how? How can a microorganism self mutate? This is probably the biggest question that the researchers had as well.