Hidden resources in the Escherichia coli genome restore PLP synthesis and robust growth after deletion of the essential gene pdxB
Abstract
The evolution of new metabolic pathways has been a driver of diversification from the last universal common ancestor 3.8 billion y ago to the present. Bioinformatic evidence suggests that many pathways were assembled by recruiting promiscuous enzymes to serve new functions. However, the processes by which new pathways have emerged are lost in time. We have little information about the environmental conditions that fostered emergence of new pathways, the genome context in which new pathways emerged, and the types of mutations that elevated flux through inefficient new pathways. Experimental laboratory evolution has allowed us to evolve a new pathway and identify mechanisms by which mutations increase fitness when an inefficient new pathway becomes important for survival.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 11, 2019
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1915569116
Entities
People
- Andrew B Morgenthaler
- Christopher C Ebmeier
- Cyrus Gidfar
- Daniel Snyder
- Jake J. Flood
- Juhan Kim
- Michael R. Kristofich
- Shelley Copley
- Tobias Fuhrer
- Uwe Sauer
- Vaughn S. Cooper
- William M. Old
Organizations
- ETH Zurich
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- National Institutes of Health
- University of Colorado Boulder
- University of Pittsburgh