---
_id: '14785'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Small cryptic plasmids have no clear effect on the host fitness and their
functional repertoire remains obscure. The naturally competent cyanobacterium
Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 harbours several small cryptic plasmids; whether their
evolution with this species is supported by horizontal transfer remains understudied.
Here, we show that the small cryptic plasmid DNA is transferred in the population
exclusively by natural transformation, where the transfer frequency of plasmid‐encoded
genes is similar to that of chromosome‐encoded genes. Establishing a system to
follow gene transfer, we compared the transfer frequency of genes encoded in cryptic
plasmids pCA2.4 (2378 bp) and pCB2.4 (2345 bp) within and between populations
of two Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 labtypes (termed
Kiel and Sevilla). Our results reveal that plasmid gene transfer frequency depends
on the recipient labtype. Furthermore, gene transfer via whole plasmid uptake
in the Sevilla labtype ranged among the lowest detected transfer rates in our
experiments. Our study indicates that horizontal DNA transfer via natural transformation
is frequent in the evolution of small cryptic plasmids that reside in naturally
competent organisms. Furthermore, we suggest that the contribution of natural
transformation to cryptic plasmid persistence in Synechocystis is limited.
acknowledgement: "We thank the lab of Francisco Javier Florencio Bel-lido, Sevilla,
Spain for supplying theSynechocystislabtype Sevilla used in this work and the lab
of MartinHagemann, Rostock, Germany for supplying the pIGAplasmidusedinthiswork.WethankNilsHülterforfruitful
discussions. We thank Fenna Stücker forgraphical illustrations and Katrin Schumann,
FennaStücker, and Lidusha Manivannan for technicalsupport.\r\nChilean National
Agency for Research andDevelopment (ANID), Grant/Award Number:21191763; DeutscheForschungsgemeinschaft,
Grant/AwardNumbers: 456882089, RTG2501; EuropeanResearch Council (ERC), Grant/AwardNumber:
101043835"
article_processing_charge: Yes (in subscription journal)
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Fabian
full_name: Nies, Fabian
last_name: Nies
- first_name: Tanita
full_name: Wein, Tanita
last_name: Wein
- first_name: Dustin M.
full_name: Hanke, Dustin M.
last_name: Hanke
- first_name: Benjamin L
full_name: Springstein, Benjamin L
id: b4eb62ef-ac72-11ed-9503-ed3b4d66c083
last_name: Springstein
orcid: 0000-0002-3461-5391
- first_name: Jaime
full_name: Alcorta, Jaime
last_name: Alcorta
- first_name: Claudia
full_name: Taubenheim, Claudia
last_name: Taubenheim
- first_name: Tal
full_name: Dagan, Tal
last_name: Dagan
citation:
ama: Nies F, Wein T, Hanke DM, et al. Role of natural transformation in the evolution
of small cryptic plasmids in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Environmental Microbiology
Reports. 2023;15(6):656-668. doi:10.1111/1758-2229.13203
apa: Nies, F., Wein, T., Hanke, D. M., Springstein, B. L., Alcorta, J., Taubenheim,
C., & Dagan, T. (2023). Role of natural transformation in the evolution of
small cryptic plasmids in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Environmental Microbiology
Reports. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.13203
chicago: Nies, Fabian, Tanita Wein, Dustin M. Hanke, Benjamin L Springstein, Jaime
Alcorta, Claudia Taubenheim, and Tal Dagan. “Role of Natural Transformation in
the Evolution of Small Cryptic Plasmids in Synechocystis Sp. PCC 6803.” Environmental
Microbiology Reports. Wiley, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.13203.
ieee: F. Nies et al., “Role of natural transformation in the evolution of
small cryptic plasmids in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803,” Environmental Microbiology
Reports, vol. 15, no. 6. Wiley, pp. 656–668, 2023.
ista: Nies F, Wein T, Hanke DM, Springstein BL, Alcorta J, Taubenheim C, Dagan T.
2023. Role of natural transformation in the evolution of small cryptic plasmids
in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Environmental Microbiology Reports. 15(6), 656–668.
mla: Nies, Fabian, et al. “Role of Natural Transformation in the Evolution of Small
Cryptic Plasmids in Synechocystis Sp. PCC 6803.” Environmental Microbiology
Reports, vol. 15, no. 6, Wiley, 2023, pp. 656–68, doi:10.1111/1758-2229.13203.
short: F. Nies, T. Wein, D.M. Hanke, B.L. Springstein, J. Alcorta, C. Taubenheim,
T. Dagan, Environmental Microbiology Reports 15 (2023) 656–668.
date_created: 2024-01-10T10:41:07Z
date_published: 2023-12-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2024-01-16T09:46:12Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '570'
department:
- _id: MaLo
doi: 10.1111/1758-2229.13203
external_id:
isi:
- '001080203100001'
pmid:
- '37794696'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: d09ebb68fee61f4e2e09ec286c9cf1d3
content_type: application/pdf
creator: dernst
date_created: 2024-01-16T09:42:10Z
date_updated: 2024-01-16T09:42:10Z
file_id: '14810'
file_name: 2023_EnvirMicroBiolReports_Nies.pdf
file_size: 1518350
relation: main_file
success: 1
file_date_updated: 2024-01-16T09:42:10Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 15'
isi: 1
issue: '6'
keyword:
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)
- Ecology
- Evolution
- Behavior and Systematics
language:
- iso: eng
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
month: '12'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 656-668
pmid: 1
publication: Environmental Microbiology Reports
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1758-2229
publication_status: published
publisher: Wiley
quality_controlled: '1'
status: public
title: Role of natural transformation in the evolution of small cryptic plasmids in
Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 15
year: '2023'
...