Speciation involves the establishment of genetic barriers between closely related organisms. The extent recombination is a key determinant and measure isolation. results reported here reveal that can be established, eliminated, or modified by manipulating two systems which control recombination, SOS mismatch repair. isolation enterobacteria simple mathematical function DNA sequence divergence. does not depend on hybrid stability, but rather number blocks sequences identical in mating...

The evolution of multiple antibiotic resistance is an increasing global problem. Resistance mutations are known to impair fitness, and the drugs depends both on their costs individually how they interact--epistasis. Information level epistasis between key importance understanding amongst deleterious alleles, a theoretical question, improving public health measures. Here we show that in antibiotic-free environment cost smaller than expected, signature pervasive positive among alleles confer...

Conjugative plasmids can mediate gene transfer between bacterial taxa in diverse environments. The ability to donate the F-type conjugative plasmid R1 greatly varies among enteric bacteria due interaction of system that represses sex-pili formations (products finOP) already harbored by a strain with those plasmid. presence efficient donors heterogeneous populations accelerate and spread several orders magnitude. Such allow millions other acquire matter days whereas, absence such strains,...

Conjugative plasmids are extra-chromosomal DNA elements that capable of horizontal transmission and found in many natural isolated bacteria. Although may carry beneficial genes to their bacterial host, they also cause a fitness cost. In this work, we studied the evolution R1 plasmid that, spite conferring an initial cost its after 420 generations disappeared all five independent experiments. fact, two these experiments evolved conjugative actually conferred advantage hosts. Furthermore,...

Multidrug-resistant bacteria arise mostly by the accumulation of plasmids and chromosomal mutations. Typically, these resistant determinants are costly to bacterial cell. Yet, recently, it has been found that, in Escherichia coli cells, a mutation conferring resistance an antibiotic can be advantageous cell if another antibiotic-resistance is already present, phenomenon called sign epistasis. Here we study interaction between mutations conjugative (i.e., self-transmissible) find many cases...

Microbes often form densely populated communities, which favor competitive and cooperative interactions. Cooperation among bacteria occurs through the production of metabolically costly molecules produced by certain individuals that become available to other neighboring individuals; such are called public goods. This type cooperation is susceptible exploitation, since nonproducers a good can benefit from it while saving cost its (cheating), gaining fitness advantage over producers...

Human beings have used large amounts of antibiotics, not only in medical contexts but also, for example, as growth factors agriculture and livestock, resulting the contamination environment. Even when pathogenic bacteria are targets hundreds nonpathogenic bacterial species affected well. Therefore, both gradually become resistant to antibiotics. We tested whether there is still cooccurrence resistance virulence determinants. performed a comparative study environmental human gut metagenomes...

It has been argued that bacterial cells may use their temperate viruses as biological weapons. For instance, a few among population of lysogenic could release the virus and kill susceptible non-lysogenic competitors, while clone mates would be immune. Because replicate inside victims upon infection, this process amplify number in arena. Sometimes, however, spare recipient from death by establishing themselves dormant state cells. This phenomenon is called lysogenization and, for some such λ...

It is difficult to understand plasmid maintenance in the absence of selection and theoretical models predict conditions for persistence be limited. Plasmid-associated fitness costs decrease bacterial competitivity, while imperfect partition allows emergence plasmid-free cells during cell division. Although conjugative transfer mobility into cells, rate such events generally not high enough ensure persistence. Experimental data suggest several factors that may expand favorable maintenance, as...

Objectives: Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are widespread, with resistance arising from chromosomal mutations and genes located in the chromosome or mobile genetic elements. While determinants often reduce bacterial growth rates, their influence on death under bactericidal antibiotics remains poorly understood. When exposed to which they susceptible, typically undergo a two-phase decline: fast initial exponentially decaying phase, followed by persistent slow-decaying phase. This study...

Although pathogenic bacteria are the targets of antibiotics, these drugs also affect hundreds commensal or mutualistic species. Moreover, use antibiotics is not only restricted to treatment infections but largely applied in agriculture and prophylaxis. During this work, we tested hypothesis that there a correlation between number genomic location antibiotic resistance (AR) genes virulence factor (VF) genes. We performed comprehensive study 16,632 reference bacterial genomes which identified...

Summary Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria cause over a million deaths annually. This study investigates the role of plasmid mobility types in disseminating antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence (VGs). By analyzing 142,492 fully sequenced plasmids from bacterial isolates metagenomes, we offer comprehensive representation distribution microbial communities. Our findings reveal that conjugative (pCONJ) are less common than previously estimated, comprising only 4.14% dataset....

Many studies have been devoted to understand the mechanisms used by pathogenic bacteria exploit human hosts. These are very diverse in detail, but share commonalities whose quantification should enlighten evolution of virulence from both a molecular and an ecological perspective. We mined literature for experimental data on infectious dose bacterial pathogens humans (ID50) also traits with which ID50 might be associated. compilations were checked complemented genome analyses. observed that...

Hygienic measures imposed to control the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and contain COVID-19 have proven effective in controlling pandemic. In this article, we argue that these could impact human microbiome two different disparate ways, acting as a double-edged sword health. New lines research shown diversity intestinal oropharyngeal microbiomes can shape pulmonary viral infection progression. Here, suggest disruption microbial sharing, it is...

Deleterious mutations are of extreme evolutionary importance because, even though they eliminated by natural selection, their continuous pressure creates a pool variability in populations. They potential relevance for the existence several features evolution, such as sexual reproduction, and pose risk to small asexual Despite importance, deleterious mutation rate effects each on fitness poorly known quantities. Here we analyze simple model that can be applied experiments, microorganisms,...

Antimicrobial resistance is presently one of the greatest threats to public health. The excessive and indiscriminate use antibiotics imposes a continuous selective pressure that triggers emergence multi-drug resistance. We performed large-scale analysis closed bacterial genomes identify considering ResFinder antimicrobial classes. found more than 95% harbor genes associated with disinfectants, glycopeptides, macrolides, tetracyclines. On average, each genome encodes nine different classes...