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Phenotypic plasticity in bacterial plasmids.

Paul E Turner1

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA. paul.turner@yale.edu

Genetics
|May 29, 2004
PubMed
Summary
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Plasmid transfer dynamics are complex. This study reveals that horizontal plasmid transfer in Escherichia coli declines at high cell densities, impacting invasion success and challenging existing virulence models.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Plasmid transfer theories often assume direct proportionality to cell density.
  • Previous studies showed a trade-off between horizontal (infectious) and vertical (intergenerational) plasmid transfer.
  • Host density did not previously mediate this trade-off for plasmid pB15.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if plasmid pB15 transfer kinetics deviate from cell density assumptions.
  • To understand the complex transfer dynamics of plasmids in liquid environments.
  • To explore phenotypic plasticity in plasmid transfer traits.

Main Methods:

  • Laboratory serial culture experiments using Escherichia coli with plasmid pB15.
  • Assessing plasmid pB15 invasion and transfer at varying static bacterial densities.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analyzing the trade-off between horizontal and vertical plasmid transfer routes.

    • Main Results:

    • Plasmid pB15 invasion was observed only at intermediate bacterial densities in static cultures.
    • Horizontal (conjugative) transfer of pB15 unexpectedly declined at higher cell densities.
    • Vertical transfer increased with cell density, while horizontal transfer decreased, altering the expected trade-off dynamics.

    Conclusions:

    • Plasmid transfer kinetics can be non-linear and density-dependent, deviating from simple models.
    • Phenotypic plasticity in plasmid traits may explain complex transfer dynamics.
    • High-density environments can inhibit plasmid invasion due to poor conjugative transfer.