Novel experiment documents evolution of genome in near-real time

A team led by bioengineering researchers at UC San Diego report in the November issue of Nature Genetics rapid evolutionary changes in a bacterial genome, observed in near-real time over a few days. Scientists have previously published static "snapshots" of the genome sequences of more than 100 bacterial species, from the harmless to those that cause plague, but this new report shows how these genomes are moving targets.

"Paleontologists look at the fossil record to study how evolution of dinosaurs and other animals occurred over millions of years, but in the case of the E. coli bacterium, new technology has given us the ability to observe evolution as it is occurring over a matter of days," said Bernhard Ø. Palsson, the senior author of the study and professor of bioengineering at UCSD. "The published genomic sequences of bacteria are like a fossil record and our experiments confirm that these genomes can change quickly as bacteria adapt to new conditions."