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Plasmids01:28

Plasmids

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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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Conjugation is a form of horizontal gene transfer that primarily occurs in bacteria and some archaea, promoting genetic diversity and adaptation. Bacteria can acquire resistance genes through conjugative plasmids, allowing them to survive antibiotic treatments that would otherwise be lethal. This process involves direct contact between cells through specialized structures such as the sex pilus and is mediated by conjugative plasmids, including the F (fertility) factor.Conjugation requires...
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Bacterial conjugation is a mechanism of horizontal gene transfer that enables the exchange of genetic material between bacterial cells through direct contact. This process is facilitated by a donor cell carrying a conjugative plasmid, which encodes genes necessary for pilus formation, DNA replication, and transfer. The conjugative plasmid plays a central role in initiating and executing the transfer of genetic material.The tra region of the conjugative plasmid encodes proteins responsible for...
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Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
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The genome of most prokaryotic organisms consists of double-stranded DNA organized into one circular chromosome in a region of cytoplasm called the nucleoid. The chromosome is tightly wound, or supercoiled, for efficient storage. Prokaryotes also contain other circular pieces of DNA called plasmids. These plasmids are smaller than the chromosome and often carry genes that confer adaptive functions, such as antibiotic resistance.
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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...
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Co-resident plasmids travel together.

João Alves Gama1, Rita Zilhão2, Francisco Dionisio3

  • 1cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal.

Plasmid
|August 27, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Conjugative plasmid co-transfer is more frequent than expected due to non-independent de-repression events. The plasmid with the lowest conjugation rate often dictates the co-transfer probability, suggesting shared regulatory cues.

Keywords:
Conjugative plasmidsEscherichia coliFR1R124R16aR1drd19R388R477-1R57bR6KR702RN3RP4Transfer rate

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Conjugative plasmids facilitate horizontal gene transfer between bacterial cells.
  • Plasmid transfer relies on the transient de-repression of specific genes.
  • Co-transfer of multiple plasmids requires simultaneous de-repression events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanisms governing the co-transfer of multiple conjugative plasmids.
  • To determine if plasmid de-repression events are independent or coordinated.
  • To develop a model predicting plasmid co-transfer probability.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of plasmid transfer frequencies in co-resident bacterial populations.
  • Mathematical modeling to assess the probability of simultaneous plasmid de-repression.
  • Comparison of observed co-transfer rates with predictions based on independent events.

Main Results:

  • Co-transfer of multiple plasmids occurs more frequently than predicted by independent de-repression models.
  • Plasmid de-repression events are largely non-independent, suggesting coordinated regulation.
  • The plasmid with the lowest conjugation rate acts as a limiting factor for co-transfer.

Conclusions:

  • Co-resident plasmids likely share common regulatory cues that promote simultaneous de-repression.
  • The transfer efficiency of the slowest conjugating plasmid influences the co-transfer dynamics of all plasmids in the cell.
  • Understanding these non-independent events is crucial for predicting horizontal gene transfer dynamics.