Plasmid transfer dynamics is the pattern of plasmid movement and establishment among cells over time. During conjugative transfer, DNA-processing enzymes cleave and rejoin plasmid DNA as part of the transfer reaction; relaxases form a transient covalent linkage to the DNA strand being processed [1]. At the population level, transfer interacts with host growth, plasmid maintenance, and the ecological distribution of compatible recipients [2]. Plasmids can encode their own transfer machinery or use functions supplied by other mobile genetic elements, producing different routes of movement through a community [3]. Donor-recipient recognition provides an additional molecular constraint: variants of the F-like plasmid protein TraN recognize particular recipient outer-membrane proteins [4]. Contact patterns, recognition, DNA transfer, and subsequent persistence jointly shape the observed distribution of plasmid-bearing cells [5].
- plasmids
- bacterial conjugation
- horizontal gene transfer
- population dynamics
References
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