Bacteria Provide Example of One of Nature's First Immune Systems, Research Shows

Studying how bacteria incorporate foreign DNA from invading viruses into their own regulatory processes, Thomas Wood, is uncovering the secrets of one of nature's most primitive immune systems.

His findings, which appear in Nature Communications.

Having already integrated itself into the bacterium's chromosome, the virus is subject to mutation as well, and some of these mutations, Wood explains, render the virus unable to replicate and kill the bacterium.

With this new diverse blend of genetic material, Wood says, a bacterium not only overcomes the virus' lethal intentions but also flourishes at a greater rate than similar bacteria that have not incorporated viral DNA.

Original Paper:

Xiaoxue Wang, Younghoon Kim, Qun Ma, Seok Hoon Hong, Karina Pokusaeva, Joseph M. Sturino, Thomas K. Wood. Cryptic prophages help bacteria cope with adverse environments. Nature Communications, 2010; 1 (9): 147 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1146

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101227100826.htm