Horizontal gene transfer is an important evolutionary force, facilitating bacterial diversity. It is
thought to be pervasive in host-associated microbiomes, where bacterial densities are high …

Highlights•Collaboration and conflict between MGEs can promote and inhibit HGT•Many
genome defences are MGE-encoded, serving MGE interests and changing frequently•The …

Phages and plasmids are regarded as distinct types of mobile genetic elements that drive
bacterial evolution by horizontal gene transfer. However, the distinction between both types …

Plasmids are mobile genetic elements found in many clades of Archaea and Bacteria. They
drive horizontal gene transfer, impacting ecological and evolutionary processes within …

Background Klebsiella pneumoniae is a notorious clinical pathogen and frequently carries
various plasmids, which are the main carriers of antimicrobial resistance and virulence …

Bacterial pathogens carrying multidrug resistance (MDR) plasmids are a major threat to
human health. The acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in plasmids is often …

Plasmids are universally present in bacteria and play key roles in the dissemination of
genes such as antibiotic resistance determinants. Major concepts in Plasmid Biology derive …

Plasmids are an important source of antibiotic-resistance genes that mobilize horizontally
between bacteria, including many human pathogens. Bacteria express various defense …

Plasmids, extrachromosomal DNA molecules commonly found in bacterial and archaeal
cells, play an important role in bacterial genetics and evolution. Our understanding of …

Mobile genetic elements shape microbial gene repertoires and populations. Recent results
reveal that many, possibly most, microbial mobile genetic elements require helpers to …