Bacterial fitness and plasmid loss: the importance of culture conditions and plasmid size

1998 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Alex Smith ◽  
Michael J Bidochka
Keyword(s):  
Copy Number ◽  
Luria Broth ◽  
Plasmid Copy Number ◽  
Culture Conditions ◽  
Lag Phase ◽  
Multicopy Plasmid ◽  
Plasmid Copy ◽  
Plasmid Loss ◽  
Bacterial Fitness ◽  
Plasmid Size

Several pBluescript-derived plasmids of various sizes were constructed to study the effects of multicopy plasmid size on bacterial fitness and plasmid loss. Transformed and untransformed bacterial clones were grown in media with or without ampicillin. Bacterial fitness (measured by growth rate), plasmid presence or absence, and plasmid copy number were assessed during successive subculturings. In selective media (minimal medium or Luria Broth plus ampicillin), the clone transformed with the largest plasmid (pBluescript with a 9000-bp insert) had a significantly longer lag phase than all other clones. In nonselective media the rate of plasmid loss during successive subculturings was greatest in the clone with the largest insert. The clone with the largest insert displayed a lower plasmid copy number than clones with a small insert or no insert at all. Plasmid loss in the form of segregational instability and plasmid copy number reduction in nonselective environments are important to the understanding of the evolution of the bacteria-plasmid associations and the appreciation of the potential for altering the genetic properties of a clone maintained or subcultured on a standard medium.Key words: pBluescript, plasmid, stress, fitness, starvation.

scholarly journals Segregational drift and the interplay between plasmid copy number and evolvability

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Ilhan ◽  
Anne Kupczok ◽  
Christian Woehle ◽  
Tanita Wein ◽  
Nils F. Hülter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Copy Number ◽  
Plasmid Copy Number ◽  
Fixation Time ◽  
Multicopy Plasmid ◽  
Plasmid Copy ◽  
Plasmid Evolution ◽  
Host Chromosome ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Multiple Copies

AbstractThe ubiquity of plasmids in all prokaryotic phyla and habitats and their ability to transfer between cells marks them as prominent constituents of prokaryotic genomes. Many plasmids are found in their host cell in multiple copies. This leads to an increased mutational supply of plasmid-encoded genes and genetically heterogeneous plasmid genomes. Nonetheless, the segregation of plasmid copies into daughter cells during cell division is considered to occur in the absence of selection on the plasmid alleles. We investigate the implications of random genetic drift of multicopy plasmids during cell division – termed here segregational drift – to plasmid evolution. Performing experimental evolution of low- and high-copy non-mobile plasmids in Escherichia coli, we find that the evolutionary rate of multicopy plasmids does not reflect the increased mutational supply expected according to their copy number. In addition, simulated evolution of multicopy plasmid alleles demonstrates that segregational drift leads to increased loss frequency and extended fixation time of plasmid mutations in comparison to haploid chromosomes. Furthermore, an examination of the experimentally evolved hosts reveals a significant impact of the plasmid type on the host chromosome evolution. Our study demonstrates that segregational drift of multicopy plasmids interferes with the retention and fixation of novel plasmid variants. Depending on the selection pressure on newly emerging variants, plasmid genomes may evolve slower than haploid chromosomes, regardless of their higher mutational supply. We suggest that plasmid copy number is an important determinant of plasmid evolvability due to the manifestation of segregational drift.

scholarly journals Small-Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance Is Enhanced by Increases in Plasmid Copy Number and Bacterial Fitness

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 3335-3341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvaro San Millan ◽  
Alfonso Santos-Lopez ◽  
Rafael Ortega-Huedo ◽  
Cristina Bernabe-Balas ◽  
Sean P. Kennedy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Copy Number ◽  
Plasmid Copy Number ◽  
Bacterial Host ◽  
Plasmid Copy ◽  
Small Plasmid ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Competitive Disadvantage ◽  
Bacterial Fitness ◽  
Horizontal Spread

ABSTRACTPlasmids play a key role in the horizontal spread of antibiotic resistance determinants among bacterial pathogens. When an antibiotic resistance plasmid arrives in a new bacterial host, it produces a fitness cost, causing a competitive disadvantage for the plasmid-bearing bacterium in the absence of antibiotics. On the other hand, in the presence of antibiotics, the plasmid promotes the survival of the clone. The adaptations experienced by plasmid and bacterium in the presence of antibiotics during the first generations of coexistence will be crucial for the progress of the infection and the maintenance of plasmid-mediated resistance once the treatment is over. Here we developed a model system using the human pathogenHaemophilus influenzaecarrying the small plasmid pB1000 conferring resistance to β-lactam antibiotics to investigate host and plasmid adaptations in the course of a simulated ampicillin therapy. Our results proved that plasmid-bearing clones compensated for the fitness disadvantage during the first 100 generations of plasmid-host adaptation. In addition, ampicillin treatment was associated with an increase in pB1000 copy number. The augmentation in both bacterial fitness and plasmid copy number gave rise toH. influenzaepopulations with higher ampicillin resistance levels. In conclusion, we show here that the modulations in bacterial fitness and plasmid copy number help a plasmid-bearing bacterium to adapt during antibiotic therapy, promoting both the survival of the host and the spread of the plasmid.

scholarly journals Segregational Drift and the Interplay between Plasmid Copy Number and Evolvability

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 472-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Ilhan ◽  
Anne Kupczok ◽  
Christian Woehle ◽  
Tanita Wein ◽  
Nils F Hülter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Copy Number ◽  
Plasmid Copy Number ◽  
Plasmid Copy

scholarly journals Plasmid copy number noise in monoclonal populations of bacteria

2010 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérôme Wong Ng ◽  
Didier Chatenay ◽  
Jérôme Robert ◽  
Michael Guy Poirier
Keyword(s):  
Copy Number ◽  
Plasmid Copy Number ◽  
Plasmid Copy

scholarly journals Effects of Biofilm Growth on Plasmid Copy Number and Expression of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Enterococcus faecalis

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 1850-1856 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. C. Cook ◽  
G. M. Dunny
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Enterococcus Faecalis ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Copy Number ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Plasmid Copy Number ◽  
Plasmid Copy ◽  
Rapid Reduction ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTBiofilm growth causes increased average plasmid copy number as well as increased copy number heterogeneity inEnterococcus faecaliscells carrying plasmid pCF10. In this study, we examined whether biofilm growth affected the copy number and expression of antibiotic resistance determinants for several plasmids with diverse replication systems. Four differentE. faecalisplasmids, unrelated to pCF10, demonstrated increased copy number in biofilm cells. In biofilm cells, we also observed increased transcription of antibiotic resistance genes present on these plasmids. The increase in plasmid copy number correlated with increased plating efficiency on high concentrations of antibiotics. Single-cell analysis of strains carrying two different plasmids suggested that the increase in plasmid copy number associated with biofilm growth was restricted to a subpopulation of biofilm cells. Regrowth of harvested biofilm cells in liquid culture resulted in a rapid reduction of plasmid copy number to that observed in the planktonic state. These results suggest a possible mechanism by which biofilm growth could reduce susceptibility to antibiotics in clinical settings.

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