Every organism across the tree of life compacts and organizes its genome with architectural
chromatin proteins. While eukaryotes and archaea express histone proteins, the …

Type IV Secretion Systems (T4SSs) are membrane-spanning multiprotein complexes
dedicated to protein secretion or conjugative DNA transport (conjugation systems) in …

Natural competence is a process by which bacteria construct a membrane-associated
machine for the uptake and integration of exogenous DNA. Many bacteria harbor genes for …

Bacteria can generate benefits for themselves and their kin by living in multicellular, matrix-
enclosed communities, termed biofilms, which are fundamental to microbial ecology and the …

Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) play a central role in chromosome organization and
environment-responsive transcription regulation. The Bacillus subtilis-encoded NAP Rok …

Horizontal gene transfer mediated by plasmid conjugation plays a significant role in the
evolution of bacterial species, as well as in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance and …

Bacterial conjugation is the main horizontal gene transfer route responsible for the spread of
antibiotic resistance, virulence and toxin genes. During conjugation, DNA is transferred from …

The opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii, carries variants of A. baumannii
resistance islands (AbaR)-type genomic islands conferring multidrug resistance. Their …

Transformation is the process of import and inheritable integration of DNA from the
environment. As such, it is believed to be a major driving force for evolution. Competence for …

Antibiotic resistance is a serious global problem. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARG), which
are widespread in environmental bacteria, can be transferred to pathogenic bacteria via …