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Plasmids

Plasmids

Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules found in bacteria, archaea, and some eukaryotic microbes like yeast. These small, circular DNA structures typically contain fewer than 30 genes, although some may exist linearly. Plasmids vary in their number within a cell, known as copy number. Single-copy plasmids are present in one copy per cell and multi-copy plasmids are present in multiple copies, reaching over 100 copies per cell.Plasmids usually replicate independently of the chromosomal DNA...

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Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Published on: December 14, 2019

Plasmid Detection, Characterization, and Ecology.

Kornelia Smalla¹, Sven Jechalke¹, Eva M Top²

¹Julius Kühn-Institut, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants (JKI), Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Messeweg 11-12, 38104 Braunschweig, Germany.

Microbiology Spectrum

|June 25, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Plasmids drive bacterial adaptation and spread traits like antibiotic resistance. New DNA-based methods help study plasmid diversity and ecology in environmental bacteria, crucial for controlling resistance spread.

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Last Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

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Published on: March 24, 2023

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Environmental Science
Genetics

Background:

Plasmids facilitate bacterial adaptation to environmental changes by providing accessory traits.
Plasmid carriage can impose costs, leading to partial population colonization.
Plasmid-mediated gene transfer is key to spreading antibiotic resistance, pathogenicity, and metabolic pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

To review current methods for studying plasmid occurrence, abundance, and diversity in environmental bacteria.
To highlight the importance of understanding plasmid ecology and host interactions.
To discuss challenges and potential of new sequencing technologies for plasmid research.

Main Methods:

Cultivation-independent, total-community DNA-based methods are increasingly used.
Analysis of plasmid occurrence, abundance, and diversity in relation to environmental factors.
Evaluation of methods for determining plasmid host range.

Main Results:

Cultivation-independent methods enable comprehensive characterization of plasmid communities.
Plasmid diversity and abundance are influenced by biotic and abiotic factors.
Advances in sequencing technologies offer new avenues for plasmid classification and evolutionary studies.

Conclusions:

Understanding plasmid ecology and host interactions is vital for combating antibiotic resistance.
Current methods provide insights into plasmid diversity but face limitations.
Future research leveraging advanced sequencing holds significant potential for plasmid research.