Instruct: Identify the main category of Biorxiv papers based on the titles and abstracts
Query: The ecological consequences and evolution of retron-mediated suicide as a way to protect bacteria from being killed by phage In 1984, retrons were described as DNA sequences that code for a reverse transcriptase and a unique single-stranded DNA/RNA hybrid called multicopy single-stranded DNA (msDNA). It would not be until 2020 that a function was shown, when compelling evidence was presented that retrons can protect bacteria from infections by lytic phage via an abortive infection mechanism. When infected with the virulent mutant of the phage lambda, {lambda}VIR, and to a lesser extent other phages, a retron designated Ec48 is activated, the Escherichia coli bearing this element dies and the infecting phage is lost. With the aid of a mathematical model, we explored the a priori conditions under which retrons will protect bacterial populations from invasion by phage and when retron-bearing bacteria will evolve in populations without this element. Using E. coli with and without Ec48, and {lambda}VIR we estimated the parameters of this model and tested the hypotheses generated from our analysis of its properties. Our models and experiments suggest cells expressing retron-mediated abortive infection have no advantage over cells lacking this system as a defense against phage, and we question whether the protection against phage infection is the unique selective force responsible for their evolution in bacteria.
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The categories of this paper are: and
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The categories of this paper are: communication
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The categories of this paper are: toxicology
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The categories of this paper are: pharmacology
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The categories of this paper are: epidemiology
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The categories of this paper are: molecular
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The categories of this paper are: immunology
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The categories of this paper are: paleontology
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The categories of this paper are: zoology
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The categories of this paper are: synthetic
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The categories of this paper are: bioengineering
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The categories of this paper are: systems
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The categories of this paper are: education
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The categories of this paper are: animal
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The categories of this paper are: bioinformatics
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The categories of this paper are: genetics