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Parallel compensatory evolution stabilizes plasmids across the parasitism-mutualism continuum.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Compensatory evolution rapidly stabilizes bacterial plasmids by reducing carriage costs, even when plasmids are parasitic. This rapid adaptation explains how bacteria maintain plasmids, crucial for genomic diversity.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Plasmids are key drivers of bacterial genomic diversity through horizontal gene transfer.
  • The persistence of plasmids in bacterial populations is theoretically challenging due to selection against costly or non-essential genetic elements.
  • Compensatory evolution is known to enhance plasmid stability, but its role across the parasitism-mutualism spectrum is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of compensatory evolution in stabilizing bacterial plasmids across a parasitism-mutualism continuum.
  • To identify the genetic mechanisms underlying plasmid stabilization through compensatory evolution.
  • To understand how compensatory evolution impacts the balance between plasmid retention and chromosomal gene capture.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental evolution of *Pseudomonas fluorescens* with the mercury resistance plasmid pQBR103 across a gradient of environments.
  • Genomic analysis to identify mutations and gene expression changes.
  • Assessing the fitness costs associated with plasmid carriage and the effects of compensatory mutations.

Main Results:

  • Compensatory evolution rapidly ameliorated the cost of plasmid carriage in all experimental conditions.
  • Mutations in the *gacA/gacS* two-component regulatory system were repeatedly observed, stabilizing plasmids without altering plasmid DNA.
  • Downregulation of chromosomal and plasmid genes by *gacA/gacS* mutations reduced the translational burden of plasmid carriage.
  • Chromosomal capture of mercury resistance genes occurred but rarely invaded populations, indicating compensatory evolution limits this process.

Conclusions:

  • Compensatory evolution is a potent mechanism for stabilizing bacterial plasmids, even under parasitic conditions.
  • Targeting the *gacA/gacS* system allows bacteria to overcome the fitness costs of plasmid carriage, facilitating plasmid retention.
  • This rapid adaptation provides a mechanism for the widespread occurrence of plasmids and their retention by bacteria, supporting genomic diversity.