The microbiology of mutability

Bacteria possessing elevated spontaneous mutation rates are prevalent in certain environments, which is a paradox because most mutations are deleterious. For example, cells with defects in the methyl-directed mismatch repair (MMR) system, termed mutators or hypermutators, are overrepresented in populations of bacterial pathogens, with the mutator trait hypothesized to be advantageous in the changing host enviroments faced during colonization and establishment of chronic infections. Error-prone DNA polymerases, such as polIV and polV, function in translesion DNA synthesis, a DNA damage response that ensures genome integrity with a cost of increased mutation. While the biochemical aspects of these mutability pathways are well understood, the biological impacts have received less attention. Here, an examination of bacterial mutability systems and specifically the ecological and evolutionary context resulting in the selection of these systems is carried out.