ArticlePLoS genetics2018
Evolution via recombination: Cell-to-cell contact facilitates larger recombination events in Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Article in PLoS genetics, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers.
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed.
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- Genetic and functional characterization of the natural transformation system inMicrobiology (Reading, England) · 2026Article
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- Bacteria as living biosensors for DNA.Nature reviews bioengineering · 2026Article
- On the role of choline in natural DNA transformation inFrontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Review
- Within-host bacterial evolution and the emergence of pathogenicity.Nature microbiology · 2025Review
- Biofilm Resilience: Molecular Mechanisms Driving Antibiotic Resistance in Clinical Contexts.Biology · 2025Review
- Ultrastructural, metabolic and genetic characteristics of determinants facilitating the acquisition of macrolide resistance by Streptococcus pneumoniae.Drug resistance updates : reviews and commentaries in antimicrobial and anticancer chemotherapy · 2024Article
- Negative regulation of MurZ and MurA underlies the essentiality of GpsB- and StkP-mediated protein phosphorylation in Streptococcus pneumoniae D39.Molecular microbiology · 2023Article
- Cell-to-cell natural transformation in Bacillus subtilis facilitates large scale of genomic exchanges and the transfer of long continuous DNA regions.Nucleic acids research · 2023Article
- Leaky barriers to gene sharing between locally co-existing coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species.Communications biology · 2023Article
- The acquisition of clinically relevant amoxicillin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae requires ordered horizontal gene transfer of four loci.PLoS pathogens · 2022Article
- Protoplast fusion in Bacillus species produces frequent, unbiased, genome-wide homologous recombination.Nucleic acids research · 2022Article
- Article
- Microcoleus (Cyanobacteria) form watershed-wide populations without strong gradients in population structure.Molecular ecology · 2022Article
- Whole Genome Multi-Locus Sequence Typing and Genomic Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Analysis for Epidemiological Typing ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
- Transformation of nonencapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae during systemic infection.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- Lysogeny inMicroorganisms · 2020Review
- Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Homologous recombination in the genetic transformation model organism Streptococcus pneumoniae is thought to be important in the adaptation and evolution of this pathogen. While competent pneumococci are able to scavenge DNA added to laboratory cultures, large-scale transfers of multiple kb are rare under these conditions. We used whole genome sequencing (WGS) to map transfers in recombinants arising from contact of competent cells with non-competent 'target' cells, using strains with known genomes, distinguished by a total of ~16,000 SNPs. Experiments designed to explore the effect of environment on large scale recombination events used saturating purified donor DNA, short-term cell assemblages on Millipore filters, and mature biofilm mixed cultures. WGS of 22 recombinants for each environment mapped all SNPs that were identical between the recombinant and the donor but not the recipient. The mean recombination event size was found to be significantly larger in cell-to-cell contact cultures (4051 bp in filter assemblage and 3938 bp in biofilm co-culture versus 1815 bp with saturating DNA). Up to 5.8% of the genome was transferred, through 20 recombination events, to a single recipient, with the largest single event incorporating 29,971 bp. We also found that some recombination events are clustered, that these clusters are more likely to occur in cell-to-cell contact environments, and that they cause significantly increased linkage of genes as far apart as 60,000 bp. We conclude that pneumococcal evolution through homologous recombination is more likely to occur on a larger scale in environments that permit cell-to-cell contact.
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