Genetic cargo and bacterial species set the rate of vesicle-mediated horizontal gene transfer.
Sci Rep
; 7(1): 8813, 2017 08 18.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28821711
ABSTRACT
Most bacteria release extracellular vesicles (EVs). Recent studies have found these vesicles are capable of gene delivery, however the consequences of vesicle-mediated transfer on the patterns and rates of gene flow within microbial communities remains unclear. Previous studies have not determined the impact of both the genetic cargo and the donor and recipient species on the rate of vesicle-mediated gene exchange. This report examines the potential for EVs as a mechanism of gene transfer within heterogeneous microbial populations. EVs were harvested from three species of Gram-negative microbes carrying different plasmids. The dynamics of gene transfer into recipient species was measured. This study demonstrates that vesicles enable gene exchange between five species of Gram-negative bacteria, and that the identity of the genetic cargo, donor strain, and recipient strain all influence gene transfer rates. Each species released and acquired vesicles containing genetic material to a variable degree, and the transfer rate did not correlate with the relatedness of the donor and recipient species. The results suggest that EVs may be a general mechanism to exchange non-specialized genetic cargo between bacterial species.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Bactérias
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Fenômenos Fisiológicos Bacterianos
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Transferência Genética Horizontal
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Vesículas Extracelulares
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2017
Tipo de documento:
Article