Adaptive Mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Author: Heidenreich, Erich

Source: Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Volume 42, Number 4, July 2007 , pp. 285-311(27)

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Abstract:

Adaptive mutation is a generic term for processes that allow individual cells of nonproliferating cell populations to acquire advantageous mutations and thereby to overcome the strong selective pressure of proliferation-limiting environmental conditions. Prerequisites for an occurrence of adaptive mutation are that the selective conditions are nonlethal and that a restart of proliferation may be accomplished by some genetic change in principle. The importance of adaptive mutation is derived from the assumption that it may, on the one hand, result in an accelerated evolution of microorganisms and, on the other, in multicellular organisms may contribute to a breakout of somatic cells from negative growth regulation, i.e., to cancerogenesis. Most information on adaptive mutation in eukaryotes has been gained with the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This review focuses comprehensively on adaptive mutation in this organism and summarizes our current understanding of this issue.

Keywords: stress-induced mutagenesis; selection-induced mutations; replication-independent reversions; stationary phase; starvation; spontaneous mutation

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10409230701507773

Affiliations: 1: Institute of Cancer Research, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Publication date: 2007-07-01

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