Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 29, 2025

Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli
06:56

Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli

Published on: March 24, 2023

5.8K

Conjugative transfer of naturally occurring plasmid in Mycolicibacterium sp

Sergio Morgado1, Ana Carolina Vicente1

  • 1Laboratory of Molecular Genetics of Microorganisms, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro, 21040-900, Brazil.

FEMS Microbiology Letters
|March 25, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Bacterial conjugation, a key gene transfer process, was observed between wild Mycobacteriaceae strains using natural plasmids. This finding suggests conjugation drives evolution in this abundant environmental genus.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacterial Genetics
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Conjugation is a primary mechanism for bacterial adaptation and evolution via horizontal gene transfer.
  • Mycolicibacterium smegmatis is a model for studying hybrid plasmid transfer, but natural plasmid conjugation is understudied in the genus.
  • Mycobacteriaceae are abundant in the environment, highlighting the need to understand their genetic exchange.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the occurrence of natural plasmid conjugation in wild Mycobacteriaceae species.
  • To determine if naturally occurring plasmids are transferred between Mycobacteriaceae strains.
  • To assess the potential role of conjugation in the diversification and evolution of the Mycobacteriaceae genus.

Main Methods:

  • Conjugation experiments were conducted between wild-type Mycobacteriaceae strains.
  • The study focused on the transfer of naturally occurring plasmids, not engineered ones.
  • Evidence of successful conjugative transfer was analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Conjugative transfer was successfully evidenced between wild Mycobacteriaceae strains.
  • Naturally occurring plasmids were shown to be transferable within this genus.
  • The findings confirm the occurrence of conjugation in Mycobacteriaceae.

Conclusions:

  • Conjugation likely occurs in the natural environment for Mycobacteriaceae.
  • This process contributes to genetic diversification and evolution within the genus.
  • The study fills a gap in understanding natural gene transfer in Mycobacteriaceae.
Keywords:
MycobacteriumHGTMycobacteriaceaeconjugationnon-mobilizable

More Related Videos

Conjugative Mating Assays for Sequence-specific Analysis of Transfer Proteins Involved in Bacterial Conjugation10:41

Conjugative Mating Assays for Sequence-specific Analysis of Transfer Proteins Involved in Bacterial Conjugation

Published on: January 4, 2017

14.0K
High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies05:18

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

Published on: January 10, 2019

10.9K

Related Concept Videos

Mechanism of Conjugation01:19

Mechanism of Conjugation

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...
198
Conjugation01:19

Conjugation

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...
153
Transduction01:16

Transduction

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...
219
Plasmids01:28

Plasmids

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...
249
Antibiotic Selection00:57

Antibiotic Selection

Overview
55.7K
Bacterial Phylum Tenericutes01:24

Bacterial Phylum Tenericutes

The phylum Tenericutes, which includes the single class Mollicutes, comprises bacteria that lack cell walls. The term "Mollicutes" derives from the Latin word mollis, meaning "soft." These organisms are among the smallest known and are commonly referred to as mycoplasmas due to the prominence of the genus Mycoplasma, which includes well-known human pathogens. Despite their inability to stain gram-positively (a result of their lack of cell walls), mycoplasmas are phylogenetically related to the...
132