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Emergence of plasmid stability under non-selective conditions maintains antibiotic resistance

Author

Listed:
  • Tanita Wein

    (Kiel University)

  • Nils F. Hülter

    (Kiel University)

  • Itzhak Mizrahi

    (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)

  • Tal Dagan

    (Kiel University)

Abstract

Plasmid acquisition is an important mechanism of rapid adaptation and niche expansion in prokaryotes. Positive selection for plasmid-coded functions is a major driver of plasmid evolution, while plasmids that do not confer a selective advantage are considered costly and expected to go extinct. Yet, plasmids are ubiquitous in nature, and their persistence remains an evolutionary paradox. Here, we demonstrate that non-mobile plasmids persist over evolutionary timescales without selection for the plasmid function. Evolving a minimal plasmid encoding for antibiotics resistance in Escherichia coli, we discover that plasmid stability emerges in the absence of antibiotics and that plasmid loss is determined by transcription-replication conflicts. We further find that environmental conditions modulate these conflicts and plasmid persistence. Silencing the transcription of the resistance gene results in stable plasmids that become fixed in the population. Evolution of plasmid stability under non-selective conditions provides an evolutionary explanation for the ubiquity of plasmids in nature.

Suggested Citation

  • Tanita Wein & Nils F. Hülter & Itzhak Mizrahi & Tal Dagan, 2019. "Emergence of plasmid stability under non-selective conditions maintains antibiotic resistance," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-10600-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10600-7
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    Cited by:

    1. Miles V. Rouches & Yasu Xu & Louis Brian Georges Cortes & Guillaume Lambert, 2022. "A plasmid system with tunable copy number," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Qiu E. Yang & Xiaodan Ma & Minchun Li & Mengshi Zhao & Lingshuang Zeng & Minzhen He & Hui Deng & Hanpeng Liao & Christopher Rensing & Ville-Petri Friman & Shungui Zhou & Timothy R. Walsh, 2024. "Evolution of triclosan resistance modulates bacterial permissiveness to multidrug resistance plasmids and phages," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Alvah Zorea & David Pellow & Liron Levin & Shai Pilosof & Jonathan Friedman & Ron Shamir & Itzhak Mizrahi, 2024. "Plasmids in the human gut reveal neutral dispersal and recombination that is overpowered by inflammatory diseases," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    4. Xuan Zou & Xiaohong Xiao & Ziran Mo & Yashi Ge & Xing Jiang & Ruolin Huang & Mengxue Li & Zixin Deng & Shi Chen & Lianrong Wang & Sang Yup Lee, 2022. "Systematic strategies for developing phage resistant Escherichia coli strains," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    5. Yinyin Ma & Josep Ramoneda & David R. Johnson, 2023. "Timing of antibiotic administration determines the spread of plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance during microbial range expansion," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.

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