Mobile genetic elements shape microbial gene repertoires and populations. Recent results
reveal that many, possibly most, microbial mobile genetic elements require helpers to …

Plasmids are universally present in bacteria and play key roles in the dissemination of
genes such as antibiotic resistance determinants. Major concepts in Plasmid Biology derive …

Identifying and characterizing mobile genetic elements in sequencing data is essential for
understanding their diversity, ecology, biotechnological applications and impact on public …

Large serine recombinases (LSRs) are DNA integrases that facilitate the site-specific
integration of mobile genetic elements into bacterial genomes. Only a few LSRs, such as …

The widespread usage of antimicrobials has driven the evolution of resistance in pathogenic
microbes, both increased prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and their …

Plasmids are mobile genetic elements found in many clades of Archaea and Bacteria. They
drive horizontal gene transfer, impacting ecological and evolutionary processes within …

Coevolution between bacteriophages (phages) and their bacterial hosts occurs through
changes in resistance and counter-resistance mechanisms. To assess phage–host …

It has become clear in recent years that anti-phage defense systems cluster non-randomly
within bacterial genomes in so-called “defense islands”. Despite serving as a valuable tool …

Plasmids and temperate phages are key contributors to bacterial evolution. They are usually
regarded as very distinct. However, some elements, termed phage–plasmids, are known to …

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