@phdthesis{26, abstract = {Expression of genes is a fundamental molecular phenotype that is subject to evolution by different types of mutations. Both the rate and the effect of mutations may depend on the DNA sequence context of a particular gene or a particular promoter sequence. In this thesis I investigate the nature of this dependence using simple genetic systems in Escherichia coli. With these systems I explore the evolution of constitutive gene expression from random starting sequences at different loci on the chromosome and at different locations in sequence space. First, I dissect chromosomal neighborhood effects that underlie locus-dependent differences in the potential of a gene under selection to become more highly expressed. Next, I find that the effects of point mutations in promoter sequences are dependent on sequence context, and that an existing energy matrix model performs poorly in predicting relative expression of unrelated sequences. Finally, I show that a substantial fraction of random sequences contain functional promoters and I present an extended thermodynamic model that predicts promoter strength in full sequence space. Taken together, these results provide new insights and guides on how to integrate information on sequence context to improve our qualitative and quantitative understanding of bacterial gene expression, with implications for rapid evolution of drug resistance, de novo evolution of genes, and horizontal gene transfer.}, author = {Steinrück, Magdalena}, issn = {2663-337X}, pages = {109}, publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria}, title = {{The influence of sequence context on the evolution of bacterial gene expression}}, doi = {10.15479/AT:ISTA:th1059}, year = {2018}, } @misc{5564, abstract = {Compressed Fastq files with whole-genome sequencing data of IS-wt strain D and clones from four evolved populations (A11, C08, C10, D08). Information on this data collection is available in the Methods Section of the primary publication.}, author = {Steinrück, Magdalena and Guet, Calin C}, publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria}, title = {{Fastq files for "Complex chromosomal neighborhood effects determine the adaptive potential of a gene under selection"}}, doi = {10.15479/AT:ISTA:65}, year = {2017}, } @article{704, abstract = {How the organization of genes on a chromosome shapes adaptation is essential for understanding evolutionary paths. Here, we investigate how adaptation to rapidly increasing levels of antibiotic depends on the chromosomal neighborhood of a drug-resistance gene inserted at different positions of the Escherichia coli chromosome. Using a dual-fluorescence reporter that allows us to distinguish gene amplifications from other up-mutations, we track in real-time adaptive changes in expression of the drug-resistance gene. We find that the relative contribution of several mutation types differs systematically between loci due to properties of neighboring genes: essentiality, expression, orientation, termination, and presence of duplicates. These properties determine rate and fitness effects of gene amplification, deletions, and mutations compromising transcriptional termination. Thus, the adaptive potential of a gene under selection is a system-property with a complex genetic basis that is specific for each chromosomal locus, and it can be inferred from detailed functional and genomic data.}, author = {Steinrück, Magdalena and Guet, Calin C}, issn = {2050084X}, journal = {eLife}, publisher = {eLife Sciences Publications}, title = {{Complex chromosomal neighborhood effects determine the adaptive potential of a gene under selection}}, doi = {10.7554/eLife.25100}, volume = {6}, year = {2017}, }