Plasmid classifications

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 from the efforts to classify plasmids. Here, we review the main plasmid classification systems, starting by phenotype-bas...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Garcillán-Barcia, M. Pilar, Redondo, Santiago, Cruz, Fernando de la
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/339416
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/339416
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Horizontal gene transfer
Plasmid classification
Plasmid incompatibility
Relaxase MOB class
Replicon formula
Plasmid taxonomic units
Global plasmidome structure
Network-based analyses of the bacterial plasmidome
Descripción
Sumario: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 from the efforts to classify plasmids. Here, we review the main plasmid classification systems, starting by phenotype-based methods, such as fertility inhibition and incompatibility, followed by schemes based on a single gene (replicon type and MOB class), and finishing with recently developed approaches that use genetic distances between whole plasmid sequences. A comparison of the latter highlights significant differences between them. We further discuss the need for an operational definition of plasmid species that reveals their biological features, akin to plasmid taxonomic units (PTUs).