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Related Concept Videos

Conjugation01:19

Conjugation

39
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...
39
DNA Bacteriophages01:26

DNA Bacteriophages

72
Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria, utilizing their genetic material to hijack host cellular machinery for replication. DNA bacteriophages employ single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes. These phages exhibit diverse replication strategies and host interactions, influencing their ecological roles and applications in biotechnology and medicine.ssDNA BacteriophagesssDNA phages, with their small genomes, utilize unique strategies to...
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Plasmids01:28

Plasmids

59
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...
59
Mechanism of Conjugation01:19

Mechanism of Conjugation

67
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...
67
Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages00:43

Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages

62.7K
In contrast to the lytic cycle, phages infecting bacteria via the lysogenic cycle do not immediately kill their host cell. Instead, they combine their genome with the host genome, allowing the bacteria to replicate the phage DNA along with the bacterial genome. The incorporated copy of the phage genome is called the prophage. Some prophages can re-activate and enter the lytic cycle. This often occurs in response to a perturbation, such as DNA damage, but can also transpire in the absence of...
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Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages01:30

Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages

71.3K
Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are specialized viruses that infect bacteria. A key characteristic of phages is their distinctive “head-tail” morphology. A phage begins the infection process (i.e., lytic cycle) by attaching to the outside of a bacterial cell. Attachment is accomplished via proteins in the phage tail that bind to specific receptor proteins on the outer surface of the bacterium. The tail injects the phage’s DNA genome into the bacterial cytoplasm. In the...
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Updated: Aug 5, 2025

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies
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High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

Published on: January 10, 2019

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Diverse and abundant phages exploit conjugative plasmids.

Natalia Quinones-Olvera1,2,3, Siân V Owen1,2,3, Lucy M McCully1,2,3

  • 1Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|March 30, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

New plasmid-dependent phages targeting IncP and IncF plasmids are common in wastewater. These phages, mostly non-canonical types, are crucial for understanding bacterial evolution and horizontal gene transfer.

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

  • Microbiology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Virology

Background:

  • Bacteriophages (phages) are critical drivers of bacterial evolution, typically using cell surface structures as receptors.
  • Plasmid-dependent phages uniquely utilize plasmid-encoded proteins for infection, making their host range contingent on plasmid mobility.
  • Characterization of plasmid-dependent phages is limited despite their biotechnological potential.

Approach:

  • Systematic search for novel plasmid-dependent phages targeting IncP and IncF plasmids using a dedicated discovery platform.
  • Isolation and characterization of 64 phages from wastewater samples.
  • Analysis of phage diversity, host range, genetic makeup, and evolutionary implications.

Key Points:

  • Plasmid-dependent phages are abundant and genetically diverse in wastewater, with most being non-canonical types (tectiviruses, ssDNA filamentous, ssRNA phages).
  • Plasmid-dependent tectiviruses display varied host ranges linked to holin protein variations.
  • Culture-based discovery remains vital as these phages are often missed in metaviromic analyses.

Conclusions:

  • Plasmid-dependent phages, particularly tectiviruses, are prevalent and understudied, impacting bacterial evolution.
  • The discovery of a tailed IncF plasmid-dependent phage and related genes highlights the adaptable use of type 4 pilus structures by phages.
  • These phages play a significant, under-appreciated role in regulating horizontal gene transfer mediated by conjugative plasmids.