Genetics, Vol 137, 903-917, Copyright © 1994

INVESTIGATIONS

Microbial Evolution in a Simple Unstructured Environment: Genetic Differentiation in Escherichia coli

R. F. Rosenzweig, R. R. Sharp, D. S. Treves and J. Adams
Departments of Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 Present address: Department of Biological Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83843.

Populations of Escherichia coli initiated with a single clone and maintained for long periods in glucose-limited continuous culture, become polymorphic. In one population, three clones were isolated and by means of reconstruction experiments were shown to be maintained in stable polymorphism, although they exhibited substantial differences in maximum specific growth rates and in glucose uptake kinetics. Analysis of these three clones revealed that their stable coexistence could be explained by differential patterns of the secretion and uptake of two alternative metabolites acetate and glycerol. Regulatory (constitutive and null) mutations in acetyl-coenzyme A synthetase accounted for different patterns of acetate secretion and uptake seen. Altered patterns in glycerol uptake are most likely explained by mutations which result in quantitative differences in the induction of the glycerol regulon and/or structural changes in glycerol kinase that reduce allosteric inhibition by effector molecules associated with glycolysis. The evolution of resource partitioning, and consequent polymorphisms which arise may illustrate incipient processes of speciation in asexual organisms.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. Saxer, M. Doebeli, and M. Travisano Spatial structure leads to ecological breakdown and loss of diversity Proc R Soc B, June 7, 2009; 276(1664): 2065 - 2070. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Sieuwerts, F. A. M. de Bok, J. Hugenholtz, and J. E. T. van Hylckama Vlieg Unraveling Microbial Interactions in Food Fermentations: from Classical to Genomics Approaches Appl. Envir. Microbiol., August 15, 2008; 74(16): 4997 - 5007. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Le Gac, M. D. Brazas, M. Bertrand, J. G. Tyerman, C. C. Spencer, R. E. W. Hancock, and M. Doebeli Metabolic Changes Associated With Adaptive Diversification in Escherichia coli Genetics, February 1, 2008; 178(2): 1049 - 1060. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. P. Maharjan, S. Seeto, and T. Ferenci Divergence and Redundancy of Transport and Metabolic Rate-Yield Strategies in a Single Escherichia coli Population J. Bacteriol., March 15, 2007; 189(6): 2350 - 2358. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Woods, D. Schneider, C. L. Winkworth, M. A. Riley, and R. E. Lenski Tests of parallel molecular evolution in a long-term experiment with Escherichia coli PNAS, June 13, 2006; 103(24): 9107 - 9112. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. J. O'Keefe, N. M. Morales, H. Ernstberger, G. Benoit, and P. E. Turner Laboratory-Dependent Bacterial Ecology: a Cautionary Tale Appl. Envir. Microbiol., April 1, 2006; 72(4): 3032 - 3035. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Tyerman, N. Havard, G. Saxer, M. Travisano, and M. Doebeli Unparallel diversification in bacterial microcosms Proc R Soc B, July 7, 2005; 272(1570): 1393 - 1398. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. L. A. Jansen, J. A. Diderich, M. Mashego, A. Hassane, J. H. de Winde, P. Daran-Lapujade, and J. T. Pronk Prolonged selection in aerobic, glucose-limited chemostat cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae causes a partial loss of glycolytic capacity Microbiology, May 1, 2005; 151(5): 1657 - 1669. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. A. Wichman, J. Millstein, and J. J. Bull Adaptive Molecular Evolution for 13,000 Phage Generations: A Possible Arms Race Genetics, May 1, 2005; 170(1): 19 - 31. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Dean Protecting Haploid Polymorphisms in Temporally Variable Environments Genetics, February 1, 2005; 169(2): 1147 - 1156. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. I. Nilsson, E. Kugelberg, O. G. Berg, and D. I. Andersson Experimental Adaptation of Salmonella typhimurium to Mice Genetics, November 1, 2004; 168(3): 1119 - 1130. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Zhong, A. Khodursky, D. E. Dykhuizen, and A. M. Dean Evolutionary genomics of ecological specialization PNAS, August 10, 2004; 101(32): 11719 - 11724. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. E. Dykhuizen and A. M. Dean Evolution of Specialists in an Experimental Microcosm Genetics, August 1, 2004; 167(4): 2015 - 2026. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. S. Chow, C. O. Wilke, C. Ofria, R. E. Lenski, and C. Adami Adaptive Radiation from Resource Competition in Digital Organisms Science, July 2, 2004; 305(5680): 84 - 86. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Buckling, M. A. Wills, and N. Colegrave Adaptation Limits Diversification of Experimental Bacterial Populations Science, December 19, 2003; 302(5653): 2107 - 2109. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. F. Cooper, D. E. Rozen, and R. E. Lenski Parallel changes in gene expression after 20,000 generations of evolution in Escherichiacoli PNAS, February 4, 2003; 100(3): 1072 - 1077. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. M. Wahl, P. J. Gerrish, and I. Saika-Voivod Evaluating the Impact of Population Bottlenecks in Experimental Evolution Genetics, October 1, 2002; 162(2): 961 - 971. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. M. Wick, H. Weilenmann, and T. Egli The apparent clock-like evolution of Escherichia coli in glucose-limited chemostats is reproducible at large but not at small population sizes and can be explained with Monod kinetics Microbiology, September 1, 2002; 148(9): 2889 - 2902. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. J. Velicer, R. E. Lenski, and L. Kroos Rescue of Social Motility Lost during Evolution of Myxococcus xanthus in an Asocial Environment J. Bacteriol., May 15, 2002; 184(10): 2719 - 2727. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. van Belkum, M. Struelens, A. de Visser, H. Verbrugh, and M. Tibayrenc Role of Genomic Typing in Taxonomy, Evolutionary Genetics, and Microbial Epidemiology Clin. Microbiol. Rev., July 1, 2001; 14(3): 547 - 560. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Notley-McRobb and T. Ferenci Experimental Analysis of Molecular Events During Mutational Periodic Selections in Bacterial Evolution Genetics, December 1, 2000; 156(4): 1493 - 1501. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				L. M. Wahl and D. C. Krakauer Models of Experimental Evolution: The Role of Genetic Chance and Selective Necessity Genetics, November 1, 2000; 156(3): 1437 - 1448. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				A. J. Spiers, A. Buckling, and P. B. Rainey The causes of Pseudomonas diversity Microbiology, October 1, 2000; 146(10): 2345 - 2350. [Full Text]

				M. W. Hahn and M. G. Höfle Flagellate Predation on a Bacterial Model Community: Interplay of Size-Selective Grazing, Specific Bacterial Cell Size, and Bacterial Community Composition Appl. Envir. Microbiol., November 1, 1999; 65(11): 4863 - 4872. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				D.-E. Chang, S. Shin, J.-S. Rhee, and J.-G. Pan Acetate Metabolism in a pta Mutant of Escherichia coli W3110: Importance of Maintaining Acetyl Coenzyme A Flux for Growth and Survival J. Bacteriol., November 1, 1999; 181(21): 6656 - 6663. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				K. Manché, L. Notley-McRobb, and T. Ferenci Mutational Adaptation of Escherichia coli to Glucose Limitation Involves Distinct Evolutionary Pathways in Aerobic and Oxygen-Limited Environments Genetics, September 1, 1999; 153(1): 5 - 12. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				H. A. Wichman, M. R. Badgett, L. A. Scott, C. M. Boulianne, and J. J. Bull Different Trajectories of Parallel Evolution During Viral Adaptation Science, July 16, 1999; 285(5426): 422 - 424. [Abstract] [Full Text]