This Week in Science: Dec 6, 2012

In Science this week, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine reported on the identification of a complete set of proteins required for mutagenic DNA repair in Escherichia coli, an insight that may lead to new drug targets against pathogens. Using a comprehensive screen, the team identified a network of around 93 genes that function in mutation, many of which operate upstream of activation of stress responses, suggesting that they sense stress. “The results reveal how a network integrates mutagenic repair into the biology of the cell ... demonstrate the centrality of stress responses, and imply that these responses are attractive as potential drug targets for blocking the evolution of pathogens.”