Segregational Drift Constrains the Evolutionary Rate of Prokaryotic Plasmids.

ABSTRACT: Plasmids are extrachromosomal genetic elements in prokaryotes that have been recognized as important drivers of microbial ecology and evolution. Plasmids are found in multiple copies inside their host cell where independent emergence of mutations may lead to intracellular genetic heterogeneity. The intracellular plasmid diversity is thus subject to changes upon cell division. However, the effect of plasmid segregation on plasmid evolution remains understudied. Here, we show that genetic drift during cell division-segregational drift-leads to the rapid extinction of novel plasmid alleles. We established a novel experimental approach to control plasmid allele frequency at the levels of a single cell and the whole population. Following the dynamics of plasmid alleles in an evolution experimen

SUBMITTER: Garona A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8662611 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature