ArticleMolecular systems biology2023
Vertical and horizontal gene transfer tradeoffs direct plasmid fitness.
Article in Molecular systems biology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- Invasive plasmids as ecosystem engineers-from mechanism to application.Essays in biochemistry · 2026Review
- Phylogenetic distribution and longitudinal persistence of plasmids inMicrobial genomics · 2026Article
- Single-Step Chromosomal Engineering Integrates Biocontainment and Therapeutic Function for Regulatory-Oriented Live Biotherapeutic Chassis Design.Pharmaceutics · 2026Article
- Horizontal and vertical gene transfer shape the plasmid host range in surface-associated microbial systems.iScience · 2026Article
- Transmission and Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Animals, Food, Humans and the Environment.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Causes and consequences of bacterial local adaptation via MGEs in the plant microbiome.The New phytologist · 2026Review
- Article
- The plasmid-host fitness landscape: a new paradigm for predicting the fate of mobile resistance.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2026Review
- Transfer potential of F-like plasmids inISME communications · 2026Article
- Plasmid transmission dynamics and evolution of partner quality in a natural population ofmBio · 2025Article
- Unveiling the Mechanisms of Bacterial Resistance and Countermeasures.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The combination of active partitioning and toxin-antitoxin systems is most advantageous for low-copy plasmid fitness.Nature communications · 2025Article
- The extended mobility of plasmids.Nucleic acids research · 2025Review
- A predatory gene drive for targeted control of self-transmissible plasmids.Science advances · 2025Article
- Comprehensive analysis of Enterobacteriaceae IncX plasmids reveals robust conjugation regulators PrfaH, H-NS, and conjugation-fitness tradeoff.Communications biology · 2025Article
- A bayesian approach for parameterizing and predicting plasmid conjugation dynamics.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Encounter rates and engagement times limit the transmission of conjugative plasmids.PLoS genetics · 2025Article
- The metabolic burden associated with plasmid acquisition: An assessment of the unrecognized benefits to host cells.BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology · 2025Review
- Fitness and adaptive evolution of a Rhodococcus sp. harboring dioxin-catabolic plasmids.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Plasmid fitness is directed by two orthogonal processes-vertical transfer through cell division and horizontal transfer through conjugation. When considered individually, improvements in either mode of transfer can promote how well a plasmid spreads and persists. Together, however, the metabolic cost of conjugation could create a tradeoff that constrains plasmid evolution. Here, we present evidence for the presence, consequences, and molecular basis of a conjugation-growth tradeoff across 40 plasmids derived from clinical Escherichia coli pathogens. We discover that most plasmids operate below a conjugation efficiency threshold for major growth effects, indicating strong natural selection for vertical transfer. Below this threshold, E. coli demonstrates a remarkable growth tolerance to over four orders of magnitude change in conjugation efficiency. This tolerance fades as nutrients become scarce and horizontal transfer attracts a greater share of host resources. Our results provide insight into evolutionary constraints directing plasmid fitness and strategies to combat the spread of antibiotic resistance.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.