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Updated: Dec 25, 2025
05:18
High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies
Published on: January 10, 2019
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Competent but complex communication: The phenomena of pheromone-responsive plasmids
Amy J Sterling1, William J Snelling1, Patrick J Naughton1
1Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), Ulster University, Coleraine, Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Plos Pathogens
|April 3, 2020
Summary
Enterococci bacteria spread antimicrobial resistance via pheromone-responsive plasmids (PRPs). This review details PRP systems, highlighting the need to study less-understood systems for their virulence factors.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacterial Genetics
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Enterococci are gram-positive bacteria causing healthcare-associated infections.
- They possess efficient pheromone-responsive plasmid (PRP) transfer systems for genetic exchange.
- These systems facilitate the spread of antimicrobial resistance determinants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of enterococcal PRP systems.
- To incorporate functional details of less-characterized PRP systems.
- To catalogue identified virulence-associated elements within PRPs.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on enterococcal PRP systems.
- Comparative analysis of characterized and less-defined PRP systems.
- Identification and cataloging of virulence-associated elements.
Main Results:
- The pCF10 plasmid system is the most well-characterized PRP system.
- Other PRP systems show structural similarities but lack functional homologues of pCF10 genes.
- Various virulence-associated elements have been identified within PRPs.
Conclusions:
- Understanding enterococcal PRP systems is crucial for combating antimicrobial resistance.
- Further elucidation of less-studied PRP systems is required.
- Identifying virulence factors associated with PRPs is essential for infection control.
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