Flow cytometry and real-time quantitative PCR as tools for assessing plasmid persistence.

ABSTRACT: The maintenance of a plasmid in the absence of selection for plasmid-borne genes is not guaranteed. However, plasmid persistence can evolve under selective conditions. Studying the molecular mechanisms behind the evolution of plasmid persistence is key to understanding how plasmids are maintained under nonselective conditions. Given the current crisis of rapid antibiotic resistance spread by multidrug resistance plasmids, this insight is of high medical relevance. The conventional method for monitoring plasmid persistence (i.e., the fraction of plasmid-containing cells in a population over time) is based on cultivation and involves differentiating colonies of plasmid-containing and plasmid-free cells on agar plates. However, this technique is time-consuming and does not easily lend itself

SUBMITTER: Loftie-Eaton W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4136099 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature