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Related Concept Videos

Horizontal Gene Transfer01:27

Horizontal Gene Transfer

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Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a process where genetic material moves between organisms within the same generation, unlike vertical gene transfer, which occurs from parent to offspring. HGT plays a crucial role in microbial evolution, adaptation, and survival, particularly in shared environments like the human gut.Mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, prophages, integrons, insertion sequences, and transposons facilitate this process. HGT occurs through three primary mechanisms:...
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Genetic transfer occurs when genetic information is passed from one organism to another. It occurs via two mechanisms: vertical gene transfer and horizontal gene transfer. Vertical gene transfer occurs when genetic information is transferred from one generation to the next, which happens much more frequently than horizontal gene transfer. Both sexual and asexual reproduction are forms of vertical gene transfer, where one or more organisms pass some or all of their genome onto their progeny.
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Conjugation01:19

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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...
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Transduction01:16

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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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In 1928, bacteriologist Frederick Griffith worked on a vaccine for pneumonia, which is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Griffith studied two pneumonia strains in mice: one pathogenic and one non-pathogenic. Only the pathogenic strain killed host mice.
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Updated: Mar 31, 2026

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies
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Horizontal and vertical gene transfer shape the plasmid host range in surface-associated microbial systems.

Kohei Takahashi1, Kiko Ohara1, Kosuke Higuchi1

  • 1Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan.

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|March 30, 2026
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Summary

Broad-host-range plasmids spread antibiotic resistance. Their host range depends on both horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and vertical gene transfer (VGT), with growth conditions impacting diversity and abundance.

Keywords:
MicrobiologyMolecular biology

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Broad-host-range plasmids are key drivers of antibiotic resistance dissemination.
  • Predicting plasmid host range is complex due to contributions from horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and vertical gene transfer (VGT).
  • Surface-associated microbial systems are critical environments for plasmid-mediated gene spread.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interplay between HGT and VGT in determining the realized host range of broad-host-range plasmids.
  • To understand how bacterial growth conditions influence transconjugant diversity and abundance.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental analysis of transconjugant diversity under varying bacterial growth rates.
  • Individual-based simulations incorporating both HGT and VGT dynamics.
  • Assessment of plasmid spread in surface-associated microbial systems.

Main Results:

  • Fast-growth conditions led to higher transconjugant abundance but lower diversity.
  • Slow-growth conditions resulted in fewer transconjugants but increased diversity.
  • The realized host range is a product of initial HGT events and subsequent VGT-driven expansion.

Conclusions:

  • The realized host range of plasmids is jointly determined by conjugation (HGT) and proliferation (VGT).
  • Bacterial growth conditions significantly modulate the balance between HGT and VGT, affecting plasmid spread dynamics.
  • Accurate prediction of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance spread requires integrating both gene transfer and post-transfer population dynamics.