Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34850170›Full record

ArticleNucleic acids research2021

Cellular heterogeneity in DNA alkylation repair increases population genetic plasticity.

Maxence S Vincent, Stephan Uphoff

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nucleic acids research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Pangenomic and genomic plasticity analyses of the genus Rickettsia.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2026
    Article
  3. Periplasmic detoxification of urate hydroperoxide underpinsbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
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  9. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Maxence S VincentDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8431-7504
Stephan UphoffDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3579-0888
University of Oxford · GB

Funding

Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust 206159/Z/17/BWellcome Trust 206159/Z/17/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

DNA repair mechanisms fulfil a dual role, as they are essential for cell survival and genome maintenance. Here, we studied how cells regulate the interplay between DNA repair and mutation. We focused on the adaptive response that increases the resistance of Escherichia coli cells to DNA alkylation damage. Combination of single-molecule imaging and microfluidic-based single-cell microscopy showed that noise in the gene activation timing of the master regulator Ada is accurately propagated to generate a distinct subpopulation of cells in which all proteins of the adaptive response are essentially absent. Whereas genetic deletion of these proteins causes extreme sensitivity to alkylation stress, a temporary lack of expression is tolerated and increases genetic plasticity of the whole population. We demonstrated this by monitoring the dynamics of nascent DNA mismatches during alkylation stress as well as the frequency of fixed mutations that are generated by the distinct subpopulations of the adaptive response. We propose that stochastic modulation of DNA repair capacity by the adaptive response creates a viable hypermutable subpopulation of cells that acts as a source of genetic diversity in a clonal population.

Indexed as

DNA DamageMutationAlkylationDNA, BacterialDNA GlycosylasesDNA RepairEscherichia coliEscherichia coli ProteinsGene Expression Regulation, BacterialGenes, BacterialGenetics, PopulationMicroscopy, FluorescenceMixed Function OxygenasesO(6)-Methylguanine-DNA MethyltransferaseSingle-Cell AnalysisTranscription FactorsAda protein, E coliAlkB protein, E coliDNA-3-methyladenine glycosidase IIDNA, BacterialDNA GlycosylasesEscherichia coli ProteinsMixed Function OxygenasesO(6)-Methylguanine-DNA MethyltransferaseTranscription Factors

Identifiers

PMID34850170
PMCPMC8643705
OpenAlexW3217723904

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.