Next-generation sequencing as a tool to study microbial evolution

Michael A. Brockhurst, Nick Colegrave, Daniel E. Rozen

Research output: Contribution to journalLiterature reviewpeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Thanks to their short generation times and large population sizes, microbes evolve rapidly. Evolutionary biologists have exploited this to observe evolution in real time. The falling costs of whole-genome sequencing using next-generation technologies now mean that it is realistic to use this as a tool to study this rapid microbial evolution both in the laboratory and in the wild. Such experiments are being used to accurately estimate the rates of mutation, reveal the genetic targets and dynamics of natural selection, uncover the correlation (or lack thereof) between genetic and phenotypic change, and provide data to test long-standing evolutionary hypotheses. These advances have important implications for our understanding of the within- and between-host evolution of microbial pathogens.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)972-980
Number of pages9
JournalMolecular Ecology
Volume20
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Sept 2011

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Next-generation sequencing as a tool to study microbial evolution'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this