Plasmids have a key role in bacterial ecology and evolution because they mobilize
accessory genes by horizontal gene transfer. However, recent studies have revealed that …

Evolution is the hallmark of life. Descriptions of the evolution of microorganisms have
provided a wealth of information, but knowledge regarding “what happened” has precluded …

Mobile genetic elements (MGEs), such as plasmids, promote bacterial evolution through
horizontal gene transfer (HGT). However, the rules governing the repertoire of traits encoded …

Tackling the challenge created by antibiotic resistance requires understanding the
mechanisms behind its evolution. Like any evolutionary process, the evolution of …

The stress-induced mutagenesis hypothesis postulates that in response to stress, bacteria
increase their genome-wide mutation rate, in turn increasing the chances that a descendant …

Understanding the interplay between phenotypic and genetic adaptation is a focus of
evolutionary biology. In bacteria, the oxidative stress response prevents mutagenesis by …

Background Newly formed polyploids may experience short-term adaptative changes in
their genome that may enhance the resistance of plants to stress. Considering the …

The emergence of antibiotic resistance under treatment depends on the availability of
resistance alleles and their establishment in the population. Novel resistance alleles are …

The spread of antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens has become a major public health
problem. Resistance genes to clinically relevant antibiotics are often carried on plasmids …

Detection and accurate quantitation of viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis is fundamental to
understanding mycobacterial pathogenicity, tuberculosis (TB) disease progression and …