Bacterial accessory genes are genomic symbionts with an evolutionary history and future
that is different from that of their hosts. Packages of accessory genes move from strain to …

The need for sustainable agricultural practices is revitalizing the interest in biological
nitrogen fixation and rhizobia-legumes symbioses, particularly those involving economically …

Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) are widespread mobile DNA that transmit both
vertically, in a host-integrated state, and horizontally, through excision and transfer to new …

Bacterial quorum sensing (QS)-dependent gene expression is a dynamic response to cell
density. Bacteria produce costly public goods for the benefit of the population as a whole. As …

Rhizobia are one of the most important and best studied groups of bacterial symbionts. They
are defined by their ability to establish nitrogen-fixing intracellular infections within plant …

Phenotypic heterogeneity describes the occurrence of “nonconformist” cells within an
isogenic population. The nonconformists show an expression profile partially different from …

Soil-dwelling bacteria collectively referred to as rhizobia synthesize and perceive N-acyl-
homoserine lactone (AHL) signals to regulate gene expression in a population density …

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of genomic islands is a driving force of bacterial evolution.
Many pathogens and symbionts use this mechanism to spread mobile genetic elements that …

Quorum sensing is usually thought of as a collective behavior in which all members of a
population partake. However, over the last decade, several reports of phenotypic …

Horizontal gene transfer has been recognized as one of the principal contributors to
bacterial evolution and diversification. One of the mechanisms involved in this process is …