Horizontal gene transfer plays a major role in microbial evolution, allowing microbes to
acquire new genes and phenotypes. Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs, aka …

HUH endonucleases are numerous and widespread in all three domains of life. The major
function of these enzymes is processing a range of mobile genetic elements by catalysing …

Conjugation of single-stranded DNA drives horizontal gene transfer between bacteria and
was widely studied in conjugative plasmids. The organization and function of integrative and …

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) contributes greatly to the plasticity and evolution of
prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. The main carriers of foreign DNA in HGT are mobile …

Conjugative relaxases are well-characterized proteins responsible for the site-and strand-
specific endonucleolytic cleavage and strand transfer reactions taking place at the start and …

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) belonging to the genus classically known as Lactobacillus,
recently split into 25 different genera, include many relevant species for the food industry …

We explore the potential of bacterial secretion systems as tools for genomic modification of
human cells. We previously showed that foreign DNA can be introduced into human cells …

Type IV secretion system (T4SS) substrates are recruited through a translocation signal that
is poorly defined for conjugative relaxases. The relaxase TrwC of plasmid R388 is …

The type IV secretion system (T4SS) VirB/D4 of the facultative intracellular pathogen
Bartonella henselae is known to translocate bacterial effector proteins into human cells. Two …

Proteus mirabilis can transfer transposons, insertion sequences, and gene cassettes to the
chromosomes of other hosts through SXT/R391 integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) …