Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Transduction01:16

Transduction

2.6K
Among the three main modes of HGT—transformation, conjugation, and transduction—transduction is unique in that it is mediated by bacteriophages, or bacterial viruses.Transduction occurs in two ways. Generalized transduction occurs during the lytic cycle of a bacteriophage infection. In this process, bacteriophages infect bacterial cells, replicate within them, and ultimately cause cell lysis, releasing newly assembled virions. Occasionally, random fragments of the bacterial genome...
2.6K
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

129
Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...
129
Bacterial Toxins01:12

Bacterial Toxins

54
Bacterial toxins are sophisticated virulence factors that enable pathogenic bacteria to interact with, invade, and damage host tissues. These toxins fall broadly into two types: protein exotoxins, which are secreted into the environment and target specific host receptors, and lipopolysaccharide endotoxins, which are structural components of the bacterial outer membrane released primarily during bacterial lysis or membrane shedding. Exotoxins generally act more selectively, binding to cell...
54
Development of Antibiotic Resistance01:30

Development of Antibiotic Resistance

1.9K
Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern that arises when bacteria evolve mechanisms to withstand the effects of antibiotic treatments. This resistance can be intrinsic, acquired through genetic mutations, or transferred between bacteria via horizontal gene transfer. The development of antibiotic resistance poses significant challenges in treating bacterial infections and necessitates ongoing research to develop new therapeutic strategies.Intrinsic resistance occurs when bacterial...
1.9K
Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA01:25

Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA

111
Antibiotic resistance in bacteria arises when microorganisms evolve the ability to withstand drugs designed to kill them or inhibit their growth, rendering once-effective treatments useless. This phenomenon, driven by genetic change and selection under antibiotic exposure, poses a profound threat to modern medicine. Mechanisms include drug-inactivating enzymes (e.g., β-lactamases), efflux pumps that eject antibiotics, mutations altering antibiotic targets, decreased drug uptake, and...
111
Types of Toxins01:36

Types of Toxins

4.0K
Humans continually engage with an environment rich in potentially harmful chemicals. These are introduced to our bodies through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. These chemicals exist in various forms, such as air and environmental pollutants, agricultural chemicals, organic solvents, and heavy metals.
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
4.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Correction to "Mechanistic Insights from Differences in the Aggregate Morphologies of Amphotericin B and Its Less Toxic Variant Am-2-19".

ACS medicinal chemistry letters·2026
Same author

Longitudinal Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Reveals Evolution of Micro- and Macro-states in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.

Cancer research·2026
Same author

Multiomic State-Transitions Reveal Post-Treatment Transcriptome Desynchronization in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

When effective anticancer therapies are, in fact, destabilizing the tumor's Group Phenotypic Composition.

NPJ precision oncology·2026
Same author

Spatiotemporal dynamics, risk assessment, and trophic fate of pharmaceuticals in a rurally-zoned freshwater terminal lake.

Journal of hazardous materials·2026
Same author

Unpacking amphotericin B toxicity: a critical review of amphotericin B aggregation and its link to toxicity and antifungal activity.

Archives of toxicology·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 3, 2026

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance
09:00

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Published on: May 2, 2018

12.5K

Widespread convergence in toxin resistance by predictable molecular evolution.

Beata Ujvari1, Nicholas R Casewell2, Kartik Sunagar3

  • 1Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia; Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|September 16, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Convergent evolution at the molecular level is rare but demonstrated here. Similar changes in the sodium-potassium-pump (Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase) confer resistance to toxic cardiac glycosides across diverse animal groups.

Keywords:
bufotoxin cardenolideconstraintgenotype phenotypeion transportersparallelism

More Related Videos

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach
12:32

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

Published on: December 14, 2019

14.9K
Demonstration of the Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility Tool for Rapid Assessment of Protein Conservation
16:02

Demonstration of the Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility Tool for Rapid Assessment of Protein Conservation

Published on: February 10, 2023

3.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 3, 2026

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance
09:00

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Published on: May 2, 2018

12.5K
Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach
12:32

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

Published on: December 14, 2019

14.9K
Demonstration of the Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility Tool for Rapid Assessment of Protein Conservation
16:02

Demonstration of the Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility Tool for Rapid Assessment of Protein Conservation

Published on: February 10, 2023

3.4K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Convergent evolution is a key concept in understanding evolutionary pathways.
  • Molecular convergence examples are scarce and typically confined to specific taxa.
  • Understanding molecular mechanisms of adaptation is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate constrained convergent molecular evolution across the metazoan tree of life.
  • To identify molecular changes conferring resistance to cardiac glycosides.
  • To explore the predictability of evolutionary responses to similar selection pressures.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomics and molecular analysis of sodium-potassium-pump (Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase).
  • Identification of point mutations associated with toxin resistance.
  • Functional analysis of altered Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase in response to cardiac glycosides.

Main Results:

  • Convergent evolution of two specific point mutations in Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase confers resistance to cardiac glycosides in insects, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.
  • These mutations occurred independently at least four times in toad-feeding reptiles.
  • Evidence suggests toxin resistance is maladaptive without continued selection pressure, indicated by molecular reversals.
  • Altered amino acids perturb the binding site of cardiac glycosides, providing mechanistic insight.

Conclusions:

  • Convergent evolution of the same molecular solution (Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase alterations) has occurred across the animal kingdom.
  • A limited number of solutions to specific selective challenges can lead to predictable evolutionary outcomes.
  • This study provides strong evidence for constrained, predictable evolutionary pathways at the molecular level.