Structure and dispersion of the conjugative mobilome in surface ocean bacterioplankton.

ABSTRACT: Mobile genetic elements (MGEs), collectively referred to as the "mobilome", can have a significant impact on the fitness of microbial communities and therefore on ecological processes. Marine MGEs have mainly been associated with wide geographical and phylogenetic dispersal of adaptative traits. However, whether the structure of this mobilome exhibits deterministic patterns in the natural community is still an open question. The aim of this study was to characterize the structure of the conjugative mobilome in the ocean surface bacterioplankton by searching the publicly available marine metagenomes from the TARA Oceans survey, together with molecular markers, such as relaxases and type IV coupling proteins of the type IV secretion system (T4SS). The T4SS machinery was retrieved in more abu

SUBMITTER: Tamayo-Leiva J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11104534 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature