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Related Concept Videos

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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Overview
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Transposons, or "jumping genes," are small mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that range from 700 to 40,000 base pairs in length. They are found in all organisms and can move within the same chromosome or transfer to different chromosomes. In some cases, transposons can also jump between different host DNA molecules, such as plasmids or viruses, contributing to genetic variability.Barbara McClintock first discovered these mobile genetic elements in the 1940s while studying maize genetics, and she...
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Transduction01:16

Transduction

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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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Mechanism of Conjugation01:19

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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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Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation02:53

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Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
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Site-specific Bacterial Chromosome Engineering: ΦC31 Integrase Mediated Cassette Exchange (IMCE)
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Insertion Sequences Determine Plasmid Adaptation to New Bacterial Hosts.

Emilia Wedel1, Cristina Bernabe-Balas1, Manuel Ares-Arroyo1

  • 1Antimicrobial Resistance Unit (ARU), Facultad de Veterinaria and Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.

Mbio
|April 25, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Plasmids adapt to new bacterial hosts through mutations in their replication origin or by acquiring insertion sequences. These changes enhance plasmid stability and influence the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes.

Keywords:
antimicrobial resistancehost rangeinsertion sequencesmutlicopy plasmidsplasmid-host adaptation

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Area of Science:

  • Bacterial genetics and molecular biology
  • Antimicrobial resistance mechanisms
  • Evolutionary biology

Background:

  • Plasmids are key vectors for antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) dissemination.
  • Plasmid adaptation to new hosts is crucial for understanding resistance spread.
  • The small multicopy plasmid pB1000, carrying the blaROB-1 ARG, is typically found in Pasteurellaceae.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanisms of plasmid adaptation to a novel host, Escherichia coli, using experimental evolution.
  • To understand how plasmid adaptation impacts host range and stability.
  • To elucidate the role of insertion sequences (ISs) in plasmid-host adaptation.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental evolution of plasmid pB1000 in Escherichia coli.
  • Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the origin of replication (oriV).
  • Identification and characterization of insertion sequences (ISs) affecting plasmid fitness.

Main Results:

  • Two adaptation mechanisms were identified: SNPs in oriV increasing plasmid copy number and stability, and ISs (IS1 and IS10) disrupting a toxic gene, reducing fitness costs.
  • Both mechanisms independently enhanced pB1000 stability in E. coli, but their combination was necessary for long-term maintenance.
  • SNPs in oriV shifted the host range by preventing replication in the original host, while ISs expanded or shifted the host range, with IS1 expanding and IS10 not reintroducing into the original host.

Conclusions:

  • Plasmid adaptation to novel bacterial hosts involves genetic modifications like SNPs in oriV and acquisition of ISs.
  • The interplay of these mechanisms is essential for successful plasmid maintenance and spread of ARGs.
  • Insertion sequences play a significant role in shaping plasmid host range and adaptation, impacting the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance.