Institute for Biomedicine & Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland 4215, Australia.
School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland 4215, Australia.
Microbiology (Reading). 2024 Sep;170(9). doi: 10.1099/mic.0.001492.
Phase variation is defined as the rapid and reversible switching of gene expression, and typically occurs in genes encoding surface features in small genome bacterial pathogens. Phase variation has evolved to provide an extra survival mechanism in bacteria that lack multiple 'sense-and-respond' gene regulation systems. Many bacterial pathogens also encode DNA methyltransferases that are phase-variable, controlling systems called 'phasevarions' (phase-variable regulons). This primer will summarize the current understanding of phase variation, describing the role of major phase-variable factors, and phasevarions, in bacterial pathobiology.
相位变异被定义为基因表达的快速和可逆转换，通常发生在编码小基因组细菌病原体表面特征的基因中。相位变异已经进化为缺乏多个“感知和响应”基因调控系统的细菌提供了一种额外的生存机制。许多细菌病原体还编码可相位变异的 DNA 甲基转移酶，控制称为“相位变异子”（相位变异调节子）的系统。本引物将总结对相位变异的当前理解，描述主要相位变异因子和相位变异子在细菌病理学中的作用。
