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 …

Mutation and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) continually give rise to new bacterial
genotypes. Infrequently, such new bacterial genotypes establish and spread in the larger …

Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are large protein complexes which traverse the cell
envelope of many bacteria. They contain a channel through which proteins or protein–DNA …

Conjugative transfer of bacterial plasmids is the most efficient way of horizontal gene
spread, and it is therefore considered one of the major reasons for the increase in the …

Enterococci are Gram-positive bacteria that normally colonize gastrointestinal tracts of
humans and animals. They are of growing concern because of their ability to cause …

In the ten years since the publication of Modern Soil Microbiology, the study of soil
microbiology has significantly changed, both in the understanding of the diversity and …

Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are important virulence factors used by Gram-negative
bacterial pathogens to inject effectors into host cells or to spread plasmids harboring …

We assessed horizontal gene transfer between bacteria in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
During the last decades, the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains and treatment failures …

The mating pair formation (Mpf) system functions as a secretion machinery for intercellular
DNA transfer during bacterial conjugation. The components of the Mpf system, comprising a …

Extrachromosomal elements are ubiquitous in the prokaryotic world and play important roles
in the adaptation and survival of cell populations, especially in changing environments …