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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
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Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach
Published on: December 14, 2019
Frequency-Dependent Selection for Plasmid-Containing Cells of ESCHERICHIA COLI
Genetics
|April 1, 1979
Abstract:
Colicin-producing plasmid-containing cells of E. coli exhibit frequency-dependent selection when grown in glucose-limited continuous culture with the corresponding plasmid-free strain. The bases of this frequency-dependent effect are shown to be (1) the lower growth rate of the plasmid-containing strain under these conditions, and (2) the production of colicin, which attenuates the growth rate of the plasmid-free strain. These results are discussed in relationship to the maintenance of genetic variation in prokaryotes.
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