LTREB: The Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia Coli

细菌在人类一生中经历数千代，因此它们可以迅速进化，并产生潜在的重要后果。 在这项长期的实验研究中，细菌进化的动力学被监测，测量，并在12个大肠杆菌种群中保存了数千代，以检查进化变化的动力学，结果的可预测性，以及表型和遗传变化的耦合。 具体目标包括实验种群的日常繁殖，样品的定期储存，以及进化菌株和祖先菌株之间的竞争。 该系统的一个关键特征是可以将祖先细菌冷冻并复活用于以后的研究。 由于细菌在自然界中的重要作用，社会必须了解支配它们进化的原则。 该项目将提供有关这些原则的基本知识，这些原则可能为管理传染病和环境做法的政策提供信息。 例如，首席研究员就这项研究与预测病原体（包括用于生物恐怖主义的病原体）基因变化率的相关性，与联邦机构进行了磋商。 该项目还涉及许多公众非常感兴趣的主题，特别是生物如何适应环境。

Bacteria undergo many thousands of generations during a human lifetime, and thus they can evolve rapidly with potentially important consequences. In this long-term experimental research, the dynamics of bacterial evolution are being monitored, measured, and preserved for thousands of generations in twelve populations of Escherichia coli in order to examine the dynamics of evolutionary change, the predictability of outcomes, and the coupling of phenotypic and genetic changes. Specific objectives include daily propagation of the experimental populations, periodic storage of samples, and competitions between the evolved and ancestral strains. A key feature of this system is that the ancestral bacteria can be frozen and revived for later study. Owing to the important roles of bacteria in nature, it is imperative that society understands the principles that govern their evolution. This project will provide fundamental knowledge about these principles that may inform policies on managing infectious diseases and environmental practices. For example, the principal investigator has consulted with federal agencies about the relevance of this research for predicting the rate of genetic change in pathogens, including those used in bioterrorism. This project also addresses a subject of great interest to many members of the public, specifically how organisms adapt to their environments.