Plasmids encode niche-specific traits in Lactobacillaceae.

ABSTRACT: Species belonging to the family Lactobacillaceae are found in highly diverse environments and play an important role in fermented foods and probiotic products. Many of these species have been individually reported to harbour plasmids that encode important genes. In this study, we performed comparative genomic analysis of publicly available data for 512 plasmids from 282 strains represented by 51 species of this family and correlated the genomic features of plasmids with the ecological niches in which these species are found. Two-thirds of the species had at least one plasmid-harbouring strain. Plasmid abundance and GC content were significantly lower in vertebrate-adapted species as compared to nomadic and free-living species. Hierarchical clustering highlighted the distinct nature

SUBMITTER: Davray D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8190607 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature