Networking in microbes: conjugative elements and plasmids in the genus Alteromonas.

ABSTRACT:

Background

To develop evolutionary models for the free living bacterium Alteromonas the genome sequences of isolates of the genus have been extensively analyzed. However, the main genetic exchange drivers in these microbes, conjugative elements (CEs), have not been considered in detail thus far. In this work, CEs have been searched in several complete Alteromonas genomes and their sequence studied to understand their role in the evolution of this genus. Six genomes are reported here for the first time.

Results

We have found nine different plasmids of sizes ranging from 85 to 600 Kb, most of them were found in a single strain. Networks of gene similarity could be established among six of the plasmids that were also connected with another cluster of plasmids found in Shewanell

SUBMITTER: Lopez-Perez M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5217437 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature