Project Leader: 
Rosemary Redfield  

Lead Institution: 
University of British Columbia
 
Research Funding Program:  
SOF 3

Genetic recombination in bacteria may provide new insights into the fundamental processes of life in higher organisms

Genetic recombination happens when two DNA strands come together and exchange fragments to create new DNA combinations. Genetic recombination is a fundamental process of life; in complex organisms involved in repairing damaged DNA (such as the change caused by the sun’s radiation), immune responses (production of antibodies) and reproduction (sperm and egg cell formation).

Genetic recombination is also the way that simple organisms, like bacteria, integrate new genetic information; scientists believe that this is how they evolve and become more deadly. Recent evidence suggests that this process isn't random, as previously thought, but involves favouritism, with preferences shown for some DNA sequences over others.   

Dr. Rosemary Redfield, from UBC's Department of Zoology will examine this favouritism at work, using Haemophilus influenza (H. Influenza), the bacteria which causes influenza. This bacteria is an ideal organism for the study of genetic recombination, as it has a relatively small, non-repetitive genome and a simple, efficient and well characterized genetic recombination system.

In this research project Dr. Redfield will transfer random fragments of DNA between two closely related bacterial strains. DNA sequencing will be used to determine how often specific DNA fragments from one bacteria are integrated into the genome of the other bacteria. They will see if some fragments are integrated more frequently, and will look at the sequences of these "preferred" fragments, to see why a preference exists. In the past, this type of work was limited by technology, and genes had to be analysed one at a time.  A new DNA sequencing technology offered by the BC Genome Sciences Centre now makes it possible to study all of the genes in the bacteria at once.

This project is unique as it will be the first time that recombination biases will be analysed over an entire genome at once, and the results of the research will have broad implications. This data will provide important information about how bacteria change and become more pathogenic, and may suggest ways to limit the spread of antibiotic resistance and other harmful traits. This is of particular relevance to H. Influenza, as it was this bacteria that caused several previous pandemics. The information from this project will also provide new insights to the processes of evolution and DNA recombination, not only in bacteria, but in other species as well.