Metabolic remodeling of microorganisms by mobile genetic elements alters mutualistic community composition.

ABSTRACT: Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) are ubiquitous in prokaryotes and exert significant influence on microbial communities, in part through their effects on host metabolism. While some MGEs directly alter host metabolism by introducing novel enzymes, all MGEs can indirectly change bacterial metabolism by redirecting intracellular host resources away from native bacterial processes toward MGE production. As a result, even when MGEs do not provide new metabolic functions, their carriage can influence host traits such as growth rate, nutrient uptake, and waste excretion, with consequences for how bacteria contribute to community and ecosystem functions. However, there are few empirical tests of how the indirect metabolic consequences of MGE carriage shape interactions between host and non-host bac

SUBMITTER: Bisesi AT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12455974 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature