Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

The journey of bacterial genes

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 6, pages 498–499 (2022)Cite this article

Subjects

Analysis of the dynamics of transposons that encode resistance to different antibiotics shows that the movement of genes under positive selection from the chromosome to mobile genetic elements such as plasmids can be beneficial in bacteria. Once integrated into plasmids, these genes can spread by horizontal gene transfer.

Plasmids are small extrachromosomal DNA rings maintained at several copies per cell. Plasmids can transfer horizontally between bacteria by different processes, including conjugation (direct cell-to-cell transfer through a bridge-like connection). Since the discovery of plasmids by Joshua Lederberg in the mid-twentieth century2, a myriad of examples has illustrated their relevance as drivers of bacterial evolution. Plasmids carry core genes involved in their vertical and horizontal transmission (for example, plasmid replication, partition and conjugation) but, in addition to these, plasmids also carry ‘accessory’ genes that allow bacteria to adapt to different niches and environments. Plasmids can acquire accessory genes from one bacterium and transfer them to other bacteria. This simple process lies at the heart of some of the most exceptional transitions in the evolution of bacteria3,4, as well as of some of the most concerning bacterial adaptations from a human perspective — such as the global spread of AMR genes among clinical pathogens5.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Effect of positive selection on chromosome-to-plasmid transposition events.

References

  1. Yao, Y. et al. Nat. Eco. Evo., https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01705-2 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Lederberg, J. Physiol. Rev. 32, 403–430 (1952).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Brinkmann, H., Göker, M., Koblížek, M., Wagner-Döbler, I. & Petersen, J. ISME J. 12, 1994–2010 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ausubel, F. M. Cell 29, 1–2 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Partridge, S. R., Kwong, S. M., Firth, N. & Jensen, S. O. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 31, e00088–17 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Redondo-Salvo, S. et al. Nat. Commun. 11, 3602 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Siguier, P., Gourbeyre, E. & Chandler, M. FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 38, 865–891 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Sousa, A., Bourgard, C., Wahl, L. M. & Gordo, I. Biol. Lett. 9, 20130838 (2013).

  9. Thomas, C. M. & Summers, D. in eLS, https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470015902.a0000468.pub2 (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

  10. Rodríguez-Beltrán, J., DelaFuente, J., León-Sampedro, R., MacLean, R. C. & San Millán, Á. Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 19, 347–359 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Brockhurst, M. A. & Harrison, E. Trends Microbiol, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2021.11.001 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Smillie, C., Garcillán-Barcia, M. P., Francia, M. V., Rocha, E. P. & de la Cruz, F. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 74, 434–452 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hernando-Amado, S., Coque, T. M., Baquero, F. & Martínez, J. L. Nat. Microbiol. 4, 1432–1442 (2019).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología–CSIC, Madrid, Spain

    Alvaro San Millan

Authors
  1. Alvaro San Millan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alvaro San Millan.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

San Millan, A. The journey of bacterial genes. Nat Ecol Evol 6, 498–499 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01713-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01713-2

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing