“Gene accordions” cause genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity in clonal populations of Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Gene tandem amplifications can drive bacterial evolution. Here, Belikova et al. identify copy number variations of lipoprotein-encoding genes in Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates, and show that the loci expand and contract during bacterial growth in vitro and in mice, leading to changes in immunostimulatory capacity.