Biofilms: hot spots of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in aquatic environments, with a focus on a new HGT mechanism
Kimihiro Abe, Nobuhiko Nomura, Satoru Suzuki
Abstract
Biofilms in water environments are thought to be hot spots for horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). ARGs can be spread via HGT, though mechanisms are known and have been shown to depend on the environment, bacterial communities and mobile genetic elements. Classically, HGT mechanisms include conjugation, transformation and transduction; more recently, membrane vesicles (MVs) have been reported as DNA reservoirs implicated in interspecies HGT. Here, we review the current knowledge on the HGT mechanisms with a focus on the role of MVs and the methodological innovations in the HGT research.
Topics & Concepts
BiologyHorizontal gene transferMechanism (biology)BiofilmFocus (optics)Gene transferGeneGeneticsMicrobiologyBacteriaPhylogeneticsOpticsPhysicsPhilosophyEpistemologyBacterial biofilms and quorum sensingMicroplastics and Plastic PollutionMicrobial Community Ecology and Physiology