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Plasmids

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...

Mechanism of Conjugation

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...

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

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.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 14, 2025

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

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

Published on: December 14, 2019

The extended mobility of plasmids.

Maria Pilar Garcillán-Barcia¹, Fernando de la Cruz¹, Eduardo P C Rocha²

¹Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Universidad de Cantabria), 39011 Santander, Cantabria, Spain.

Nucleic Acids Research

|July 22, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Plasmids spread diverse traits, with mobility extending beyond conjugation. Mobile genetic elements and cell interactions critically influence plasmid transfer and stability, impacting microbiome interventions.

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Last Updated: Sep 14, 2025

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

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Published on: December 27, 2024

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Genetics
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Plasmids are key vectors for trait dissemination, including antibiotic resistance and virulence.
Conjugative plasmids, once thought dominant, are now understood to be a minority of mobile elements.
Plasmid mobility involves diverse mechanisms beyond conjugation, including mobilization by other genetic elements and phage-like transfer.

Purpose of the Study:

To review recent advances in understanding plasmid mobility.
To explore the molecular mechanisms, evolutionary dynamics, and ecological factors governing plasmid spread.
To highlight the impact of inter-mobile genetic element and inter-cellular interactions on plasmid dynamics.

Main Methods:

Literature review of recent research on plasmid mobility.
Analysis of molecular mechanisms of plasmid transfer.
Examination of ecological determinants and evolutionary changes in plasmids.

Main Results:

Plasmid mobility is more diverse than previously recognized, involving mobilization by other mobile genetic elements and atypical transfer mechanisms.
Interactions between mobile genetic elements (competition, exploitation, elimination) significantly affect plasmid transfer and stability.
Cell-cell interactions, including bacterial predation and communication eavesdropping, modulate plasmid transfer patterns.

Conclusions:

The understanding of plasmid mobility has expanded significantly, revealing complex interactions.
Plasmid spread is shaped by intricate relationships between mobile genetic elements and host cells.
These insights are crucial for developing microbiome intervention strategies, from containment to harnessing plasmid functions.