Medical Research Finder

Start
Features
Free trial / FAQ

Researchers
Physicians
Pharmacists
Ecotrophologists
Product Managers
in Health Industries

Loading…

© 2026 meRfi®

Medical Research Finder

Legal Notice
Privacy
Terms of Use

meRfi® Microbiome - The Digital Gut Microbiome Reference (incl. AI Chat)
Prebiotics, Probiotics, FMT / Manipulators of the Intestinal Microbiota

AuthorsReferences (Sources)

AuthorsReferences (Sources)

meRfi® AI Chat

Phase variation

Welcome to meRfi Microbiome!

Please register to continue your trial period!

meRfi Microbiome provides you with up-to-date, evidence-based insights on the gut microbiota and related health topics.

Access our ever-expanding digital library and get personalized answers through our interactive AI chat platform.

Start your free trial and transform your understanding of the gut microbiota today!

Register for a free trial

Contents

Phase variation is a process where bacteria can switch certain parts of their DNA on or off. This means they can turn specific genes on or off, and this change can be reversed.
Moxon et al. 2006 Annu Rev Genet 40: 307-333
Goldberg et al. 2014 Genome Med 6: 112
Phillips et al. 2019 Biochem Soc Trans 47: 1131-1141
West et al. 2022 Curr Opin Microbiol 69: 102192

DNA inversions can happen when new genes are moved from an inactive spot to an active one. This is done by changing the direction or recombining parts of the genome called "shufﬂons." These are mobile genetic elements that help rearrange genes and act as tools to change which genes are expressed.
van der Woude & Bäumler 2004 Clin Microbiol Rev 17: 581
Ben-Assa et al. 2020 N…

References (Sources)

Analysis of a phase-variable restriction modiﬁcation system of the human gut symbiont Bacteroides fragilis
Ben-Assa et al. 2020 Nucleic Acids Res 48: 11040-11053
Bacterial contingency loci: the role of simple sequence DNA repeats in bacterial adaptation
Moxon et al. 2006 Annu Rev Genet 40: 307-333
Review
Extensive surface diversity of a commensal microorganism by multiple DNA inversions.
Krinos et al. 2001
Inﬂammation and bacteriophages affect DNA inversion states and functionality of the gut microbiota
Carasso et al. 2024 Cell Host & Microbe 32: 322-334
Phase and antigenic variation in bacteria
van der Woude & Bäumler 2004 Clin Microbiol Rev 17: 581
Review
Phase-variable bacterial loci: how bacteria gamble to maximise ﬁtness in changing environments
Phillips et al. 2019 Biochem Soc Trans 47: 1131-1141
Review
Phase-variable capsular polysaccharides and lipoproteins modify bacteriophage susceptibility in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron
Porter et al. 2020a Nat Microbiol 5: 1170-1181

AI Chat

7/1/2026

Chat with our artificial intelligence: