Conjugation in Gram-positive bacteria

Bacterial conjugation is the process by which a conjugative element is transferred from a donor to a recipient cell via a pore connecting both cells. Often, a conjugative element is located on a plasmid (then named conjugative plasmid). The conjugation process can be divided into four steps: (i) selection of and attachment to a suitable recipient cell, (ii) synthesis of the pore connecting both cells, (iii) processing of the DNA resulting in a single DNA strand (ssDNA) that is transferred into the recipient cell, and (iv) conversion of ss to dsDNA and establishment in the new host. Many conjugative elements contain also antibiotic resistance (AR) genes and conjugation is the main horizontal gene transfer route responsible for the spread of AR. We study aspects of all four steps of conjugation. The obtained knowledge is then used to (i) design strategies to interfere with conjugation-meidated spread of antibiotic resistance, and (ii) to develop genetic tools to modify G+ bacteria.