Research output: Contribution to journal › Literature review › peer-review
Plasmid-mediated horizontal gene transfer is a coevolutionary process. / Harrison, Ellie; Brockhurst, Michael A.
In: Trends in microbiology, Vol. 20, No. 6, 06.2012, p. 262-267.Research output: Contribution to journal › Literature review › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Plasmid-mediated horizontal gene transfer is a coevolutionary process
AU - Harrison, Ellie
AU - Brockhurst, Michael A.
N1 - ©2012, Elsevier Ltd. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Trends in Microbiology. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy
PY - 2012/6
Y1 - 2012/6
N2 - Conjugative plasmids are key agents of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) that accelerate bacterial adaptation by vectoring ecologically important traits between strains and species. However, although many conjugative plasmids carry beneficial traits, all plasmids exert physiological costs-of-carriage on bacteria. The existence of conjugative plasmids, therefore, presents a paradox because non-beneficial plasmids should be lost to purifying selection, whereas beneficial genes carried on plasmids should be integrated into the bacterial chromosome. Several ecological solutions to the paradox have been proposed, but none account for co-adaptation of bacteria and conjugative plasmids. Drawing upon evidence from experimental evolution, we argue that HGT via conjugation can only be fully understood in a coevolutionary framework.
AB - Conjugative plasmids are key agents of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) that accelerate bacterial adaptation by vectoring ecologically important traits between strains and species. However, although many conjugative plasmids carry beneficial traits, all plasmids exert physiological costs-of-carriage on bacteria. The existence of conjugative plasmids, therefore, presents a paradox because non-beneficial plasmids should be lost to purifying selection, whereas beneficial genes carried on plasmids should be integrated into the bacterial chromosome. Several ecological solutions to the paradox have been proposed, but none account for co-adaptation of bacteria and conjugative plasmids. Drawing upon evidence from experimental evolution, we argue that HGT via conjugation can only be fully understood in a coevolutionary framework.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84861666352&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.tim.2012.04.003
DO - 10.1016/j.tim.2012.04.003
M3 - Literature review
C2 - 22564249
VL - 20
SP - 262
EP - 267
JO - Trends in microbiology
JF - Trends in microbiology
SN - 0966-842X
IS - 6
ER -