Plasmids have a key role in bacterial ecology and evolution because they mobilize
accessory genes by horizontal gene transfer. However, recent studies have revealed that …

Strains of bacteria resistant to antibiotics, particularly those that are multiresistant, are an
increasing major health care problem around the world. It is now abundantly clear that both …

Antibiotics are powerful drugs used in the treatment of bacterial infections. The inappropriate
use of these medicines has driven the dissemination of antibiotic resistance (AR) in most …

Highlights•The human gut microbiome harbours antibiotic resistance genes ('the
resistome').•Antibiotic resistance genes can spread in the gut microbiome through horizontal …

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 major drivers of gene mobilization by means of horizontal gene transfer and
play a key role in spreading antimicrobial resistance among pathogens,. Despite various …

Evolution is the hallmark of life. Descriptions of the evolution of microorganisms have
provided a wealth of information, but knowledge regarding “what happened” has precluded …

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

Abstract oriTfinder is a web server that facilitates the rapid identification of the origin of
transfer site (oriT) of a conjugative plasmid or chromosome-borne integrative and …

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) drives microbial adaptation but is often under the control of
mobile genetic elements (MGEs) whose interests are not necessarily aligned with those of …