Adaptive evolution of plasmid and chromosome contributes to the fitness of a blaNDM-bearing cointegrate plasmid in Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: Large cointegrate plasmids recruit genetic features of their parental plasmids and serve as important vectors in the spread of antibiotic resistance. They are now frequently found in clinical settings, raising the issue of how to limit their further transmission. Here, we conducted evolutionary research of a large blaNDM-positive cointegrate within Escherichia coli C600, and discovered that adaptive evolution of chromosome and plasmid jointly improved bacterial fitness, which was manifested as enhanced survival ability for in vivo and in vitro pairwise competition, biofilm formation, and gut colonization ability. From the plasmid aspect, large-scale DNA fragment loss is observed in an evolved clone. Although the evolved plasmid imposes a negligible fitness cost on host bacteria, its conjug

SUBMITTER: Liu Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10976473 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature