Detection of rare plasmid hosts using a targeted Hi-C approach.

ABSTRACT: Despite the significant role plasmids play in microbial evolution, there is limited knowledge of their ecology, evolution, and transfer in microbial communities. This is partly due to the limitations of current methods in associating a plasmid with its host in microbiomes. To address this knowledge gap, we developed and implemented a novel approach to identify rare plasmid hosts by combining Hi-C, a proximity ligation method, with enrichment for plasmid-specific DNA. We hereafter refer to this approach as Hi-C+. We applied Hi-C and Hi-C+ to soil microbial communities in which we mimicked increasingly rare transfer of an antimicrobial resistance plasmid from a donor to a recipient. This was achieved by inoculating agricultural soil with mixtures of known plasmid-containing and plasmid-free

SUBMITTER: Castaneda-Barba S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11950669 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature