Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Plasmids01:28

Plasmids

152
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...
152
Genome Copying Errors02:46

Genome Copying Errors

4.4K
DNA replication is a well-evolved process that copies millions of base pairs with high fidelity during each cell division. Occasionally a wrong base or a long stretch of wrong bases may get added to the daughter strands. If the errors are left unchecked, cells might accumulate several mutations that might endanger their  survival. Therefore, the copying errors are checked and repaired at three levels.
4.4K
Replication in Prokaryotes01:32

Replication in Prokaryotes

25.4K
DNA replication has three main steps: initiation, elongation, and termination. Replication in prokaryotes begins when initiator proteins bind to the single origin of replication (ori) on the cell's circular chromosome. Replication then proceeds around the entire circle of the chromosome in each direction from the two replication forks, resulting in two DNA molecules.
Many Proteins Work Together to Replicate the Chromosome
Replication is coordinated and carried out by a host of specialized...
25.4K
Comparing Copy Number Variations and SNPs02:26

Comparing Copy Number Variations and SNPs

18.0K
Sequencing of the human genome has opened up several best-kept secrets of the genome. Scientists have identified thousands of genome variations that exist within a population. These variations can be a single nucleotide or a larger chromosomal variation.
Copy number variations or CNVs are the structural variations that cover more than 1kb of DNA sequence. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), on the other hand, is a single nucleotide change or a point mutation that is found in more than 1%...
18.0K
Replication in Eukaryotes02:31

Replication in Eukaryotes

172.5K
Overview
172.5K
The Replisome03:01

The Replisome

35.0K
DNA replication is carried out by a large complex of proteins that act in a coordinated matter to achieve high-fidelity DNA replication. Together this complex is known as the DNA replication machinery or the replisome.
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with...
35.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Ecogenomic kinetics: wandering bacterial populations stumbling upon niches.

Trends in microbiology·2026
Same author

The antimicrobial gut resistome of the Wayampi reveals a shared background of antibiotic and metal resistance genes with industrialized populations, underscoring the "robust-yet-fragile" architecture of human gut microbiomes.

Microbiome·2026
Same author

Plasmid mutation rates scale with copy number.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Abnormal Splicing of <i>GALC</i> Transcripts Underlies Unusual Cases of Krabbe Disease.

Biomedicines·2025
Same author

Chagas disease induces gut microbial metabolic stress: Disruption of energy and nucleotide pathways and partial reversal by antiparasitic therapy (TRIPOBIOME-2 study).

Travel medicine and infectious disease·2025
Same author

ExcludonFinder: mapping transcriptional overlaps between neighboring genes.

Nucleic acids research·2025
Same journal

Kat5 deficiency in alveolar type II cells licenses STAT6-driven glycolytic reprogramming and pulmonary fibrosis.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Continuous nonthermal slab gap formed by progressive tearing beneath Northeast Asia.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Zeolitic isolated protonic acid sites-mediated NH<sub>3</sub> storage for robust NO<sub>x</sub> removal.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Coaxially nested component with asymmetric fiber resonant cavity and separation membrane for gaseous and dissolved gases detection.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Near-unity charge readout signal in a nonlinear resonator without matching the sensor dissipation.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Prokaryotic Schlafen proteins cleave tRNAs during type III CRISPR immunity.

Nature communications·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 17, 2025

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach
12:32

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Published on: December 14, 2019

14.1K

Universal rules govern plasmid copy number.

Paula Ramiro-Martínez1,2, Ignacio de Quinto1, Val F Lanza1,3

  • 1Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal-IRYCIS, Madrid, Spain.

Nature Communications
|July 2, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study reveals that bacterial plasmid copy number (PCN) is highly variable but robust, intrinsically linked to plasmid lifestyles. A universal scaling law connects PCN and plasmid size across species.

More Related Videos

Understanding the Impact of Temperate Bacteriophages on Their Lysogens Through Transcriptomics
09:23

Understanding the Impact of Temperate Bacteriophages on Their Lysogens Through Transcriptomics

Published on: January 5, 2024

2.0K
High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies
05:18

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

Published on: January 10, 2019

10.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 17, 2025

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach
12:32

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Published on: December 14, 2019

14.1K
Understanding the Impact of Temperate Bacteriophages on Their Lysogens Through Transcriptomics
09:23

Understanding the Impact of Temperate Bacteriophages on Their Lysogens Through Transcriptomics

Published on: January 5, 2024

2.0K
High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies
05:18

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

Published on: January 10, 2019

10.9K

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Plasmids, or autonomously replicating DNA molecules, possess diverse strategies for replication, mobility, and host interaction.
  • The factors determining plasmid copy number (PCN) in bacteria are not well understood.
  • Understanding PCN is crucial for various applications, including biotechnology and combating antibiotic resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively analyze the determinants of plasmid copy number (PCN) across a wide range of bacterial plasmids.
  • To investigate the relationship between PCN, plasmid lifestyle, and genomic context.
  • To identify universal principles governing the trade-off between plasmid size and copy number.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of extensive DNA sequencing data from thousands of diverse bacterial plasmids.
  • Statistical analysis to correlate PCN with plasmid characteristics and lifestyle.
  • Development and application of a universal scaling law to model PCN-size relationships.

Main Results:

  • Plasmid copy number (PCN) exhibits high variability (three orders of magnitude) and is robust against genomic context changes.
  • PCN is strongly associated with distinct plasmid lifestyles.
  • A universal scaling law demonstrates a constrained trade-off between plasmid size and copy number across bacterial species.

Conclusions:

  • Plasmid copy number is influenced by lifestyle and subject to universal scaling laws.
  • The concept of 'replicon dominance' helps explain interactions in multi-replicon plasmids.
  • Pervasive biological constraints modulate the relationship between plasmid size and copy number in bacteria.