ArticleNature microbiology2024
Plasmid-encoded toxin defence mediates mutualistic microbial interactions.
Article in Nature microbiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Animal gut microbes and microbiomes in the 21st century and beyond.Science China. Life sciences · 2026Review
- Host-parasite-microbiome interactions in gastrointestinal trematodes and cestodes of small ruminants: current advances and future perspectives.Veterinary research communications · 2026Review
- Decoding the human gut bacterial plasmids in colorectal cancer.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Community context reshapes microbial proteomes and reduces functional overlap.Nature microbiology · 2026Article
- Engineering plasmids with synthetic origins of replication.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Spatial constraints drive amylosome-mediated resistant starch degradation by Ruminococcus bromii in the human colon.Nature communications · 2025Article
- A global soil plasmidome resource unveils functional and ecological roles of plasmids in soil microbiomes.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Metabolic remodeling of microorganisms by mobile genetic elements alters mutualistic community composition.mSystems · 2025Article
- The role of plasmid copy number and mutation rate in evolutionary outcomes.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Article
- Unveiling plasmid diversity and functionality in pristine groundwater.Environmental microbiome · 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
- Mobile genetic elements: the hidden puppet masters underlying infant gut microbiome assembly?Microbiome research reports · 2025Article
- Exploring interspecific interaction variability in microbiota: A review.Engineering microbiology · 2024Review
- Engineering Microbial Consortia as Living Materials: Advances and Prospectives.ACS synthetic biology · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Gut environments harbour dense microbial ecosystems in which plasmids are widely distributed. Plasmids facilitate the exchange of genetic material among microorganisms while enabling the transfer of a diverse array of accessory functions. However, their precise impact on microbial community composition and function remains largely unexplored. Here we identify a prevalent bacterial toxin and a plasmid-encoded resistance mechanism that mediates the interaction between Lactobacilli and Enterococci. This plasmid is widespread across ecosystems, including the rumen and human gut microbiota. Biochemical characterization of the plasmid revealed a defence mechanism against reuterin, a toxin produced by various gut microbes, such as Limosilactobacillus reuteri. Using a targeted metabolomic approach, we find reuterin to be prevalent across rumen ecosystems with impacts on microbial community structure. Enterococcus strains carrying the protective plasmid were isolated and their interactions with L. reuteri, the toxin producer, were studied in vitro. Interestingly, we found that by conferring resistance against reuterin, the plasmid mediates metabolic exchange between the defending and the attacking microbial species, resulting in a beneficial relationship or mutualism. Hence, we reveal here an ecological role for a plasmid-coded defence system in mediating a beneficial interaction.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.