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Mislav Acman: Large Scale network analysis captures biological features of bacterial plasmids
Plasmids are extra-chromosomal DNA molecules found across all three Domains of Life. In bacteria, they are considered one of the main mediators of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) through the processes of conjugation and transformation.
Plasmids generally harbour non-essential genes that can modulate the fitness of their bacterial host. Some prominent examples include toxin–antitoxin systems, virulence factors, metabolic pathways, antibiotic biosynthesis, metal resistance and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. These accessory genes can be located on transposable elements involved in lateral gene transfer across genomes and can thus lead to a highly mosaic structure of plasmid genomes