Unravelling plasmidome distribution and interaction with its hosting microbiome
Aya Brown Kav1,2, Roye Rozov3, David Bogumil1
1Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, The National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653 Beer-Sheva, Building 41, Room 228, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Environmental Microbiology
|October 12, 2019
Summary
The rumen plasmidome has vast, unannotated functional potential shared with rat gut data. Its diversity suggests stochasticity, not selection, shapes its structure, highlighting its active role in microbial evolution.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Genetics
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Horizontal gene transfer via plasmids is crucial for microbial evolution.
- The factors influencing plasmidome functionality and distribution in nature remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comparatively analyze plasmidomes within adjacent microenvironments of individual rumen microbiomes.
- To investigate the functional potential and structural dynamics of rumen plasmidomes.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of plasmidomes from distinct rumen microenvironments.
- Bioinformatic analysis of functional potential and diversity.
- Comparison with existing rat gut plasmidome data.
Main Results:
- The rumen plasmidome exhibits substantial unannotated functional potential, conserved with rat gut plasmidomes.
- Rumen plasmidomes are highly diverse relative to their host microbiomes.
- Plasmidome structure appears primarily shaped by stochastic processes rather than strong selection.
Conclusions:
- The rumen plasmidome possesses significant, largely uncharacterized functional capacity.
- Plasmidome diversity and structure are influenced by chance events.
- Plasmidomes actively interact with and respond to their host microbiome and environment.
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