Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40502034›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2025

Transposon-plasmid nesting enables fast response to fluctuating environments.

Yuanchi Ha, Rohan Maddamsetti, Xiaoli Chen, Emrah Şimşek, Dongheon Lee, Hyein Son, Charlotte Lee, Edo Kussell, Lingchong You

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Yuanchi HaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Rohan MaddamsettiDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Xiaoli ChenDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Emrah ŞimşekDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Dongheon LeeDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Hyein SonDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Charlotte LeeDepartment of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Edo KussellDepartment of Biology, New York University, New York, USA.
Lingchong YouDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

Funding

Revealing Stochastic Switches in Bacteria: Theory, Modeling, and ExperimentsR01GM097356 · NIGMS · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY · PI KUSSELL, EDO L · 2011 to 2025
$4.4M
Post-antibiotic effect and design of optimal antibiotic dosing protocolsR01GM098642 · NIGMS · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI YOU, LINGCHONG · 2011 to 2025
$3.6M
Tradeoffs between fitness costs and transfer rates in horizontal gene transferR01AI125604 · NIAID · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI LINGCHONG YOU · 2017 to 2026
$3.3M
Targeted control of self-transmissible plasmids by using engineered interfering plasmidsR01EB031869 · NIBIB · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI YOU, LINGCHONG · 2021 to 2024
$1.5M
Gene Regulation and Memory in Bacterial Metabolism and Antibiotic ResistanceR01GM148703 · NIGMS · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY · PI EDO L KUSSELL · 2023 to 2026
$1.3M
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI125604NIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB031869NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM097356NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM098642NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM148703
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) play a critical role in shaping the response and evolution of microbial populations and communities. Despite distinct maintenance mechanisms, different types of MGEs can form nested structures. Using bioinformatics analysis of 14,338 plasmids in the NCBI RefSeq database, we found transposons to be widespread and significantly enriched on plasmids relative to chromosomes, highlighting the prevalence of transposon-plasmid nesting. We hypothesized that this nested structure provides unique adaptive advantages by combining transposition-driven genetic mobility with plasmid-mediated copy number amplification. Using engineered transposon systems, we demonstrated that nesting enables rapid and tunable responses of transposon-encoded genes in fluctuating environments. Specifically, transposition maintains a reservoir of the encoded genes, while plasmid copy number fluctuations further amplify the dynamic range of gene dosage, thus enhancing the response speed and stability of transposon-encoded traits. Our findings demonstrate an adaptive benefit of transposon-plasmid nesting and provide insights into their ecological persistence and evolutionary success.

Identifiers

PMID40502034
PMCPMC12157364

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.