Interbacterial predation as a strategy for dna acquisition in naturally competent bacteria

ABSTRACT Natural competence enables bacteria to take up exogenous DNA. The evolutionary function of natural competence remains controversial, as imported DNA can act as a source of

substrates or can be integrated into the genome. Exogenous homologous DNA can also be used for genome repair. In this Opinion article, we propose that predation of non-related neighbouring

bacteria coupled with competence regulation might function as an active strategy for DNA acquisition. Competence-dependent kin-discriminated killing has been observed in the unrelated

bacteria _Vibrio cholerae_ and _Streptococcus pneumoniae_. Importantly, both the regulatory networks and the mode of action of neighbour predation differ between these organisms, with _V.

cholerae_ using a type VI secretion system and _S. pneumoniae_ secreting bacteriocins. We argue that the forced release of DNA from killed bacteria and the transfer of non-clonal genetic

material have important roles in bacterial evolution. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS

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Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS PANDEMIC _VIBRIO CHOLERAE_ SHUTS DOWN SITE-SPECIFIC RECOMBINATION TO RETAIN AN INTERBACTERIAL DEFENCE MECHANISM Article Open

access 07 December 2020 TWO DEFENCE SYSTEMS ELIMINATE PLASMIDS FROM SEVENTH PANDEMIC _VIBRIO CHOLERAE_ Article 06 April 2022 PROTOZOAL FOOD VACUOLES ENHANCE TRANSFORMATION IN _VIBRIO

CHOLERAE_ THROUGH SOS-REGULATED DNA INTEGRATION Article Open access 16 May 2022 CHANGE HISTORY * _ 14 JULY 2017 The author affiliation has been written incorrectly and this is now corrected.

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Microbiol._ 25, 267–279 (2017). Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors apologize to those researchers whose work was not cited in this Opinion

article owing to space limitations and the primary focus on the link between competence induction and kin-discriminated neighbour predation. Work in the Veening laboratory is supported by

the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Young Investigator Program, a VIDI fellowship (grant 864.12.001) from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, Earth and Life

Sciences (NWO-ALW), and European Research Council Starting Grant 337399-PneumoCell. Work in the Blokesch laboratory is funded by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL),

the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant 31003A_162551 and NRP72 program grant 407240_167061) and the European Research Council (ERC; starting grant 309064-VIR4ENV). AUTHOR INFORMATION

Author notes * Jan-Willem Veening Present address: Molecular Genetics Group, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Centre for Synthetic Biology, University of

Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands. Present address: Department of Fundamental Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Biophore

Building, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland., AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de

Lausanne (EPFL, Jan-Willem Veening & Melanie Blokesch * Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne), Station 19, EPFL-SV-UPBLO, Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland Jan-Willem Veening 

& Melanie Blokesch Authors * Jan-Willem Veening View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Melanie Blokesch View author publications You can

also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHORS Correspondence to Jan-Willem Veening or Melanie Blokesch. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors

declare no competing financial interests. POWERPOINT SLIDES POWERPOINT SLIDE FOR FIG. 1 POWERPOINT SLIDE FOR FIG. 2 POWERPOINT SLIDE FOR FIG. 3 POWERPOINT SLIDE FOR FIG. 4 RIGHTS AND

PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Veening, JW., Blokesch, M. Interbacterial predation as a strategy for DNA acquisition in naturally competent

bacteria. _Nat Rev Microbiol_ 15, 621–629 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro.2017.66 Download citation * Published: 10 July 2017 * Issue Date: October 2017 * DOI:

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