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.

  • Genome Watch
  • Published:

Unveiling plasmid diversity in nature

A Publisher Correction to this article was published on 19 September 2024

This article has been updated

This Genome Watch highlights recent metagenomic surveys that have revealed the extensive prevalence and diversity of plasmids in the human gut microbiome and discusses the challenges in accurately reporting plasmid genomes identified from metagenomic data.

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

Access options

Buy this article

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

Change history

References

  1. Smalla, K., Jechalke, S. & Top, E. M. Plasmid detection, characterization, and ecology. Microbiol. Spectr. https://doi.org/10.1128/microbiolspec.plas-0038-2014 (2015).

  2. Fogarty, E. C. et al. A cryptic plasmid is among the most numerous genetic elements in the human gut. Cell 187, 1206–1222.E16 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Yu, M. K., Fogarty, E. C. & Eren, A. M. Diverse plasmid systems and their ecology across human gut metagenomes revealed by PlasX and MobMess. Nat. Microbiol. 9, 830–847 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Wein, T. & Dagan, T. Plasmid evolution. Curr. Biol. 30, R1158–R1163 (2020).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antonio Pedro Camargo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Camargo, A.P. Unveiling plasmid diversity in nature. Nat Rev Microbiol 22, 597 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-024-01093-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-024-01093-3

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Microbiology

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Microbiology newsletter — what matters in microbiology research, free to your inbox weekly.

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