Plasmids are key vectors of horizontal gene transfer and essential genetic engineering tools.
They code for genes involved in many aspects of microbial biology, including detoxication …

Transmissible plasmids can be classified according to their mobilization ability, as being
conjugative (self-transmissible) or mobilizable (transmissible only in the presence of …

Conjugation drives the horizontal transfer of adaptive traits across prokaryotes. One-fourth of
the plasmids encode the functions necessary to conjugate autonomously, the others being …

Plasmids are important “vehicles” for the communication of genetic information between
bacteria. The exchange of plasmids transmits pathogenically and environmentally relevant …

Highlights•Non-conjugative mobile genetic elements are often mobilized by conjugative
elements.•Element carriage of a relaxase gene is not a strict requirement for mobilization.•A …

Plasmids contain a backbone of core genes that remains relatively stable for long
evolutionary periods, making sense to speak about plasmid species. The identification and …

Highlights•Plasmid evolution reviewed from the perspective of plasmids.•Mobility, stability,
and indispensability largely determine plasmid lifestyles.•Changes in plasmid traits facilitate …

Plasmids are and will remain important cloning vehicles for biotechnology. They have also
been associated with the spread of a number of diseases and therefore are a subject of …

Plasmids are genetic elements that play a role in bacterial evolution by providing new genes
that promote adaptation to diverse conditions. Plasmids are also known to reduce bacterial …

Plasmids can be transferred between cells by conjugation, thereby driving bacterial
evolution by horizontal gene transfer. Yet, we ignore the molecular mechanisms of transfer …