Prion-based protein self-assembly tunes mutagenesis to enable rapid adaptation.

Prion-based protein self-assembly creates heritable mutagenesis switches that accelerate adaptation in yeast and pathogenic fungi, with up to 300 million years of divergence.

• Why it matters: Understanding mechanisms that enable rapid, reversible genetic changes is crucial for grasping how organisms adapt to environmental stresses and develop drug resistance, filling a key knowledge gap in evolutionary biology and infectious disease.
• What they did: The study examined Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans populations, demonstrating that prion-driven switching of DNA repair proteins modulates mutagenesis, especially under selective pressures like genotoxic stress and antifungal treatment.
• The result: This mechanism enhances short-term adaptability and accelerates drug resistance, suggesting that protein self-assembly acts as an epigenetic memory, promoting genome diversification and rapid evolution in challenging environments.