horizontal gene transfer
Research ArticleThe Prophages of Citrobacter rodentium Represent a Conserved Family of Horizontally Acquired Mobile Genetic Elements Associated with Enteric Evolution towards PathogenicityBacteriophages are obligate intracellular parasites of bacteria. Some bacteriophages can confer novel bacterial phenotypes, including pathogenicity, through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). The pathogenic bacterium Citrobacter rodentium infects mice using mechanisms similar to those employed by human gastrointestinal pathogens, making it an important model organism....
Research ArticlePlasmid Characteristics Modulate the Propensity of Gene Exchange in Bacterial VesiclesExtracellular vesicle formation and exchange are common within bacterial populations. Vesicles package multiple types of biomolecules, including genetic material. The exchange of extracellular vesicles containing genetic material facilitates interspecies DNA transfer and may be a promiscuous mechanism of horizontal gene transfer. Unlike other mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer, it is unclear whether characteristics of the exchanged...
Research ArticlePlanktonic Interference and Biofilm Alliance between Aggregation Substance and Endocarditis- and Biofilm-Associated Pili in Enterococcus faecalisMost bacteria express multiple adhesins that contribute to surface attachment and colonization. However, the network and relationships between the various adhesins of a single bacterial species are less well understood. Here, we examined two well-characterized adhesins in Enterococcus faecalis, aggregation substance and endocarditis- and biofilm-associated pili, and...
Research Article | SpotlightFluorescence-Based Detection of Natural Transformation in Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumanniiAntibiotic resistance is a pressing global health concern with the rise of multiple and panresistant pathogens. The rapid and unfailing resistance to multiple antibiotics of the nosocomial agent Acinetobacter baumannii, notably to carbapenems, prompt to understand the mechanisms behind acquisition of new antibiotic resistance genes. Natural transformation, one of the...
- Meeting PresentationEvolution of a Vegetarian Vibrio: Metabolic Specialization of Vibrio breoganii to Macroalgal Substrates
Vibrios are often considered animal specialists or generalists. Here, we show that Vibrio breoganii has undergone massive genomic changes to become specialized on algal carbohydrates. Accompanying genomic changes include massive gene import and loss. These vibrios may help us better understand how algal biomass is degraded in the environment and may serve as a...