Plasmids mediate the horizontal transmission of genetic information between bacteria,
facilitating their adaptation to multiple environmental conditions. An especially important …

Since the first genome-scale comparisons, it has been evident that the genomes of many
species are unbound by strict vertical descent: Large differences in gene content can occur …

Plasmids play an important role in bacterial genome evolution by transferring genes
between lineages. Fitness costs associated with plasmid carriage are expected to be a …

In the absence of antibiotic-mediated selection, sensitive bacteria are expected to displace
their resistant counterparts if resistance genes are costly. However, many resistance genes …

Antibiotics target essential cellular functions but bacteria can become resistant by acquiring
either exogenous resistance genes or chromosomal mutations. Resistance mutations …

Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA elements that can be found throughout bacteria, as
well as in other domains of life. Nonetheless, the evolutionary processes underlying the …

Engineering the synthesis of massive amounts of therapeutics, enzymes or commodity
chemicals can select for subpopulations of nonproducer cells, owing to metabolic burden …

In biological systems, evolutionary innovations can spread not only from parent to offspring
(ie vertical transmission), but also 'horizontally'between individuals, who may or may not be …

Horizontal gene transfer mediated by broad-host-range plasmids is an important mechanism
of antibiotic resistance spread. While not all bacteria maintain plasmids equally well …

Multidrug-resistant plasmid-carrying bacteria are of particular clinical concern as they could
transfer antibiotic resistance genes to other bacterial species. However, little is known …