Plasmid最新文献

{"title":"Quantifying plasmid dynamics using single-cell microfluidics and image bioinformatics","authors":"J.C.R. Hernandez-Beltran ,&nbsp;J. Rodríguez-Beltrán ,&nbsp;A. San Millán ,&nbsp;R. Peña-Miller ,&nbsp;A. Fuentes-Hernández","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102517","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102517","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span>Multicopy plasmids play an important role in bacterial ecology and evolution by accelerating the rate of adaptation and providing a platform for rapid gene amplification and evolutionary rescue. Despite the relevance of plasmids in bacterial evolutionary dynamics, evaluating the population-level consequences of randomly segregating and replicating plasmids in individual cells remains a challenging problem, both in theory and experimentally. In recent years, technological advances in </span>fluorescence microscopy and microfluidics have allowed studying temporal changes in gene expression by quantifying the fluorescent intensity of individual cells under controlled environmental conditions. In this paper, we will describe the manufacture, experimental setup, and data analysis pipeline of different microfluidic systems that can be used to study plasmid dynamics, both in single-cells and in populations. To illustrate the benefits and limitations of microfluidics to study multicopy plasmid dynamics, we will use an experimental model system consisting on </span><em>Escherichia coli</em> K12 carrying non-conjugative, multicopy plasmids (19 copies per cell, in average) encoding different fluorescent markers and <em>β</em>-lactam resistance genes. First, we will use an image-based flow cytometer to estimate changes in the allele distribution of a heterogeneous population under different selection regimes. Then we will use a mothermachine microfluidic device to obtain time-series of fluorescent intensity of individual cells to argue that plasmid segregation and replication dynamics are inherently stochastic processes. Finally, using a microchemostat, we track thousands of cells in time to reconstruct bacterial lineages and evaluate the allele frequency distributions that emerge in response to a range of selective pressures.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102517","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38041062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Incorporating the plasmidome into antibiotic resistance surveillance in animal agriculture","authors":"N. Ricker ,&nbsp;B.S. Spoja ,&nbsp;N. May ,&nbsp;G. Chalmers","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102529","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102529","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Mobile genetic elements (MGE) carrying resistance genes represent a unique challenge to risk assessment and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Yet determining the mobility of resistance genes within animal microbiomes is essential to evaluating the potential dissemination from livestock to potential human pathogens, as well as evaluating co-selection mechanisms that may impact persistence of resistance genes with changing antibiotic use patterns. Current surveillance efforts utilize phenotypic testing and sequencing of individual isolates for tracking of AMR in livestock. In this work, we investigated the utility of using long-read sequencing of the plasmids from mixed <em>Enterobacterales</em> enrichments of swine fecal samples as a surveillance strategy for AMR plasmids. Enrichments were performed in either MacConkey broth without selection or with selection by addition of tetracycline or ceftriaxone, and plasmids were extracted and sequenced in order to evaluate the diversity of plasmids enriched by each method. Intact resistance plasmids were successfully assembled, as well as complex resistance transposons carrying multiple repeated elements that would interfere with assembly by short read sequencing technologies. Comparison of the assembled plasmids with representatives from public databases confirmed the quality of the assemblies and also revealed the occurrence of IncI2 plasmids carrying <em>bla</em>_CMY-2 in Ontario swine samples, which have not been found in previous studies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102529","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38245513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolution of IS26-bounded pseudo-compound transposons carrying the tet(C) tetracycline resistance determinant","authors":"Carol H. Pong,&nbsp;Robert A. Moran ,&nbsp;Ruth M. Hall","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102541","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102541","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A large plasmid, pCERC14, found in an antibiotic resistant commensal <em>Escherichia coli</em><span> isolate recovered from a healthy adult was sequenced. pCERC14 was 162,926 bp and carried FII-18 and FIB-1 replicons and an F-like transfer region as well as several virulence determinants, some of which are involved in the uptake of iron which would be advantageous for the commensal lifestyle. The plasmid backbone is interrupted in 11 places by complete IS (IS</span><em>1</em> (4 copies), IS<em>2</em> (2), IS<em>629</em> (2) and single IS<em>100</em>, IS<em>186</em><span>, ISEc33) and in three places by partial IS copies. The antibiotic resistance genes were found in two IS</span><em>26</em><span><span>-bounded pseudo-compound transposons (PCT). One contained a remnant of a class 1 </span>integron that includes a </span><em>dfrA5</em><span> gene cassette and the </span><em>sul1</em><span><span> gene conferring resistance to trimethoprim and </span>sulphonamides, respectively. The second, named PTn</span><em>tet</em><span>(C)-var, contained a 4828 bp DNA segment that includes the </span><em>tet</em><span>(C) tetracycline resistance determinant. As </span><em>tet</em>(C) is relatively rare in <em>E. coli</em> and other Gram-negative bacterial isolates, the structure and evolution of <em>tet</em>(C)-containing PCT in available sequences was examined. The largest identified was PTn<em>tet</em>(C), a close relative of PTn<em>tet</em>(C)-var, and a potential progenitor for these PCT. Most PCT shared one internal boundary with PTn<em>tet</em>(C) but the length of the central <em>tet</em>(C)-containing segment was shorter due to IS<em>26</em>-mediated deletions. The most abundant variant form, previously named Tn<em>6309</em>, was widely distributed and, in a derivative of it, most of the <em>tetA</em>(C) gene has been replaced by the <em>tetA</em><span>(A) gene presumably by homologous recombination.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102541","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38519114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improved pEKEx2-derived expression vectors for tightly controlled production of recombinant proteins in Corynebacterium glutamicum","authors":"Patrick J. Bakkes,&nbsp;Paul Ramp,&nbsp;Astrid Bida,&nbsp;Doris Dohmen-Olma,&nbsp;Michael Bott,&nbsp;Roland Freudl","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102540","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102540","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The <em>Escherichia coli/Corynebacterium glutamicum</em><span> shuttle vector pEKEx2 is an IPTG-inducible expression vector that has been used successfully for the synthesis of numerous proteins in </span><em>C. glutamicum</em><span>. We discovered that the leaky gene expression observed for pEKEx2-derived plasmids relates to reduced functionality of the plasmid-encoded repressor<span> LacI carrying a modified C-terminus, while duplicate DNA sequences in the pEKEx2 backbone contribute to plasmid instability. We constructed the pEKEx2-derivatives pPBEx2 and pPREx2, which harbor a restored </span></span><em>lacI</em><span> gene and which lack the unnecessary duplicate DNA sequences. pPREx2 in addition enables fusion of target genes to a C-terminal Strep-tag II coding region for easy protein detection and purification<span>. In the absence of inducer, the novel vectors exhibit tight gene repression in </span></span><em>C. glutamicum</em>, as shown for the secretory production of <span><em>Fusarium solani</em><em> pisi</em></span><span> cutinase<span> and the cytosolic production of green fluorescent protein and </span></span><em>C. glutamicum myo</em><span>-inositol dehydrogenase<span>. Undesired heterogeneity amongst clones expressing cutinase from pEKEx2 was attributed to the loss of a vector fragment containing the cutinase gene, which likely occurred via homologous recombination<span> of the identical flanking DNA sequences. Such loss was not observed for pPBEx2. Using pPREx2, IolG-Strep was successfully produced and purified to homogeneity by Strep-Tactin affinity chromatography, obtaining 1.5 mg IolG with a specific activity of 27 μmol·min</span></span></span>⁻¹·(mg protein)⁻¹<span> from 100 mL culture. The tight gene repression in the absence of inducer and the improved plasmid stability make expression vectors pPBEx2/pPREx2 attractive alternatives to the available molecular tools for genetic manipulation and high-level production of recombinant proteins in </span><em>C. glutamicum.</em></p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102540","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38432767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antimicrobial resistance gene shuffling and a three-element mobilisation system in the monophasic Salmonella typhimurium strain ST1030","authors":"M. Oliva ,&nbsp;C. Calia ,&nbsp;M. Ferrara ,&nbsp;P. D'Addabbo ,&nbsp;M. Scrascia ,&nbsp;G. Mulè ,&nbsp;R. Monno ,&nbsp;C. Pazzani","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102532","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102532","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>In this study we describe the genetic<span> elements and the antimicrobial resistance units (RUs) harboured by the </span></span><em>Salmonella</em> Typhimurium monophasic variant 1,4,[5],12:i:- strain ST1030. Of the three identified RUs two were chromosomal, RU1 (IS<em>26-bla</em>_TEM-1-IS<em>26</em>-<em>strAB</em>-s<em>ul2-</em> IS<em>26</em>) and RU2 (IS<em>26-tetR</em>(B)-<em>tetA</em>(B)-ΔIS<em>26</em>), and one, RU3 (a <em>sul3</em><span>-associated class 1 integron with cassette array </span><em>dfrA12</em>-<em>orfF</em>-<em>aadA2</em>-<em>cmlA1</em>-<em>aadA1</em><span>), was embedded in a Tn</span><em>21</em>-derived element harboured by the conjugative I1 plasmid pST1030-1A. IS<em>26</em> elements mediated the antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) shuffling and this gave rise to pST1030-1A derivatives with different sets of ARGs. ST1030 also harboured two ColE1-like plasmids of which one, pST1030-2A, was mobilisable and the target of an intracellular translocation of the Tn<em>21</em>-derived element; the second (pST1030–3) was an orphan <em>mob</em>-associated <em>oriT</em> plasmid co-transferred with pST1030-1A and pST1030-2A. pST1030-2A and pST1030-3 also carried a <em>parA</em><span> gene and a type III restriction modification system, respectively. Overall analysis of our data reinforces the role played by IS</span><em>26</em>, Tn<em>21</em>-derived elements and non-conjugative plasmids in the spread of ARGs and supplies the first evidence, at least in <em>Salmonella</em>, for the identification of a natural isolate harbouring a three-element mobilisation system in the same cell.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102532","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38316368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structures bounded by directly-oriented members of the IS26 family are pseudo-compound transposons.","authors":"Christopher J. Harmer,&nbsp;Carol H. Pong,&nbsp;Ruth M. Hall","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102530","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102530","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Antibiotic resistance genes are often found in structures bounded by copies of IS</span><em>26</em>, IS<em>257</em>/IS<em>431</em> or IS<em>1216</em> that resemble compound (or composite) transposons. However, because of the mechanisms used by IS<em>26</em><span><span><span> family members, namely that they form cointegrates but cannot resolve them, none of these structures can move together as a coherent single unit. Apparent transposition of these structures is possible via a 2-step process but only if the IS are in direct orientation. An intermolecular reaction catalysed by the IS-encoded transposase and an intramolecular </span>homologous recombination step can occur in either order. In one route, one of the IS bounding the structure forms a cointegrate between the </span>DNA molecule carrying it and a target molecule. Cointegrates formed by either copy-in or targeted conservative routes contain three directly-oriented IS copies and can be resolved by homologous recombination between specific pairs of IS, with one pair leading to apparent transposition of the whole structure. In the other route, homologous recombination first forms a circular intermediate, a translocatable unit or TU, which is incorporated by the transposase either at a random site or adjacent to another IS copy in a target molecule. We therefore conclude that the transposon-like structures are not compound (or composite) transposons and the nomenclature for them should be revised. We propose that the term “pseudo compound transposon” (PCT), first coined in 1989, should be used to describe those structures where the IS are in direct orientation. Structures with the IS in opposite orientation should not be named as transposons.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102530","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38331613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Novel conditional plasmids regulated by chemical switches provide versatile tools for genetic engineering in Escherichia coli","authors":"André Riedl ,&nbsp;Simone Gruber ,&nbsp;Zsolt Ruzsics","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102531","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102531","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span>Engineering bacterial genomes<span> or foreign DNA<span><span> cloned as bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) relies on usage of helper plasmids, which deliver the desired tools transiently into the bacteria to be modified. After the anticipated action is completed the helper plasmids need to be cured. To make this efficient, plasmids are used that are maintained by conditional </span>amplicons or carry a counter-selection marker. Here, we describe new conditional plasmids that can be maintained or cured by using chemical induction or repression. Our method is based on the dependency of plasmids carrying ori6Kγ </span></span></span>origin of replication on the presence of protein Π. Ori6Kγ based plasmids are tightly regulated conditional constructs, but they require usually special </span><em>E. coli</em><span><span> strains to operate. To avoid this, we placed the Π protein expression under the control of a co-expressed conditional </span>repressor<span>. Regulating the maintenance of plasmids with administration or removal of chemicals is fully compatible with any other conditional amplicons applied to date. Here, we describe methods for inducing sites specific recombination<span> of BACs as an example. However, the same strategy might be used to construct appropriate helper plasmids for any other transient components of genome editing methodologies such as λred recombinases or CRISPR/Cas components.</span></span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102531","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38371741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Formation of new PHE plasmids in pseudomonads in a phenol-polluted environment","authors":"Eve Elken,&nbsp;Eeva Heinaru,&nbsp;Merike Jõesaar,&nbsp;Ain Heinaru","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102504","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102504","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Several years ago, a laboratory-constructed plasmid with a single-component phenol monooxygenase gene (</span><em>pheBA</em> operon) flanked by two IS elements was released to a phenol-polluted area. During the following years, we found in the test area widely distributed <em>pheBA</em> operon-containing bacteria. The new <em>pheBA</em>⁺ strains belong predominantly to the <span><em>Pseudomonas fluorescens</em></span><span> group, and they did not arise via selection of the released PHE plasmid. On the contrary, the formation of several different types of PHE plasmids occurred, namely pPHE101 (60,958 bp) from the IncP-9 group, non-transferable plasmid pPHE69 (44,717 bp), mobilizable plasmid pPHE20 (39,609 bp) and the IncP-7 type plasmid pPHE24Δ</span><em>pheBA</em> (120,754 bp), in which the <em>pheBA</em><span> operon was translocated from the plasmid to the chromosome. In two cases, PHE plasmid-bearing strains exist in a multi-plasmid state, also containing the non-catabolic plasmids pG20 (133,709 bp) and pG69 (144,433 bp) with backbones sharing 97% DNA identity and with redundant genes for the initiation of replication, </span><em>repA1</em>and <em>repA2,</em> of which only one was active. Seemingly, several other plasmids and bacterial features besides the <em>pheBA</em> operon were involved in selective distribution of catabolic operons in the natural environment. The comparison of the genetic structure of plasmids and IS elements' functions, as well as resistance to heavy metals of seven completely sequenced plasmids, are discussed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2020-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102504","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37832659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Construction of a novel dual-inducible duet-expression system for gene (over)expression in Pseudomonas putida","authors":"Rahul Gauttam ,&nbsp;Aindrila Mukhopadhyay ,&nbsp;Steven W. Singer","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102514","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102514","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><em>Pseudomonas putida</em> is a widely used host for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. However, the use of <em>P. putida</em> has been hampered by the availability of a limited set of expression vectors for producing heterologous proteins. To widen the scope of expression vectors for gene co-expression studies, a previously established dual-inducible expression vector pRG_Duet2 developed for <em>Corynebacterium glutamicum</em> has been modified for use in <em>P. putida</em>. This expression vector, named pRGPDuo2, harbors two origins of replication, <em>colE1</em> for replication in <em>E. coli</em> and pRO1600 for replication in <em>P. putida</em>. Two multiple cloning sites (MCS1 and MCS2) in pRGPDuo2 are individually controlled by inducible promoters <em>P</em>_<em>tac</em> or <em>P</em>_{<em>tetR/tetA</em>}. Functional validation of pRGPDuo2 was confirmed by the co-expression of genes for the fluorescent proteins namely, superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP), and red fluorescent protein (RFP). Moreover, the strength of the fluorescence signal was dependent on the inducer concentrations present in the culture medium. The expression vector pRGPDuo2 is an attractive addition to the existing repertoire of expression plasmids for expression profiling and adds to the tools available for <em>P. putida</em> metabolic engineering.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2020-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102514","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38015352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plasmidome of an environmental Acinetobacter lwoffii strain originating from a former gold and arsenic mine","authors":"Tomasz Walter,&nbsp;Joanna Klim,&nbsp;Marcin Jurkowski,&nbsp;Jan Gawor,&nbsp;Iwona Köhling,&nbsp;Małgorzata Słodownik,&nbsp;Urszula Zielenkiewicz","doi":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102505","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102505","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Emerging important <em>Acinetobacter</em> strains commonly accommodate a plethora of mobile elements including plasmids of different size. Plasmids, apart from encoding modules enabling their self-replication and/or transmission, can carry a diverse number of genes, allowing the host cell to survive in an environment that would otherwise be lethal or restrictive for growth. The present study characterizes the plasmidome generated from an arsenic-resistant strain named ZS207, classified as <em>Acinetobacter lwoffii</em>. Sequencing effort revealed the presence of nine plasmids in the size between 4.3 and 38.4 kb as well as one 186.6 kb megaplasmid. All plasmids, except the megaplasmid, do apparently not confer distinguishing phenotypic features. In contrast, the megaplasmid carries arsenic and heavy metals resistance regions similar to those found in permafrost <em>A. lwoffii</em> strains. In-depth <em>in silico</em> analyses have shown a significant similarity between the regions from these plasmids, especially concerning multiple transposable elements, transfer and mobilization genes, and toxin-antitoxin systems.</p><p>Since <em>ars</em> genes encode proteins of major significance in terms of potential use in bioremediation, arsenic resistance level of ZS207 was determined and the functionality of selected <em>ars</em> genes was examined. Additionally, we checked the functionality of plasmid-encoded toxin-antitoxin systems and their impact on the formation of persister cells.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49689,"journal":{"name":"Plasmid","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2020-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/j.plasmid.2020.102505","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37910309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}