Horizontal Gene Transfer Between Bacteria Under Natural Conditions

Abstract

Conjugative plasmid transfer is the most important mechanism for bacteria to deliver and acquire genetic information to cope with rapidly changing environmental conditions. An update of knowledge of conjugative plasmid transfer in aquatic and terrestrial habitats, including environments of particular concern such as agricultural areas and contaminated soils and sediments, is presented. Environmental factors affecting horizontal gene transfer in nature are discussed. Recent advances in the design of in situ monitoring tools to assess conjugative plasmid transfer in nature and laboratory model systems to simulate environmental conditions are critically reviewed. The impacts of horizontal gene transfer on biodegradation as well as recent approaches to model conjugative plasmid transfer in complex microbial communities are presented.