Intracellular genomic variability driven by cellular compartmentalization in the giant bacterium Achromatium spp.
Danny Ionescu, Joana Mariz, Kai Bukoff, Elene Tskitishvili, Marit Gruener, Laura Oroz Villegas, Sophie-Luise Heidig, Thomas Stach, Julian Hennies, Dietrich W. M. Walsh, Anna M. Steyer, Christian Wurzbacher, Mina Bižić
The paper shows that Achromatium bacteria have genetically diverse chromosomes within cells, inherited by daughter cells, and that spatial segregation of chromosomes drives genomic variability.
bioRxiv · Oct 6, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology