New Publication out !

The cost of plasmid carriage is a key metric that can be used to predict plasmids' ecological fate, and it is unclear whether plasmid costs are affected by growth partners in a microbial community. We carried out competition experiments and tracked plasmid maintenance using a model system consisting of a synthetic and stable five-species community and a broad host-range plasmid, engineered to carry different payloads. We report that both the cost of plasmid carriage and its long-term maintenance in a focal strain depended on the presence of competitors, and that these interactions were species specific. Addition of growth partners increased the cost of a high-payload plasmid to a focal strain, and accordingly, plasmid loss from the focal species occurred over a shorter time frame.

Sünderhauf D, Klümper U, Gaze WH, Westra E, van Houte S (2023) Interspecific competition can drive plasmid loss from a focal species in a microbial community.

The ISME Journal. 10.1038/s41396-023-01487-w

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