In this section
@article{He:2026,
author = {He, S and Sanchez, Garrido J and Beis, K and Frankel, G},
journal = {Journal of Bacteriology},
title = {TraN variants mediate conjugation species specificity of IncA/C, IncH and Acinetobacter baumannii plasmids},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - IncA/C and IncH plasmids commonly carry antimicrobial resistance genes, notably blaNDM-1. Although these plasmids disseminate among Gram-negative pathogens via conjugation, the mechanisms underlying mating pair stabilisation (MPS) and conjugation species specificity remain poorly understood. In IncF plasmids, MPS is mediated by interactions between outer membrane proteins (OMP) encoded by the plasmids in the donor (TraN) and by the chromosome in the recipient. Using the Plascad database, we extracted 1,436 TraN sequences from 1517 plasmids: 62.5% (898/1,436), mainly in IncF plasmids, are 550–660aa (we renamed TraN short, TraNS); 15% (216/1,436), in IncA/C plasmids, are 880–950aa (TraN medium, TraNM); and 11% (160/1,436), in IncH plasmids, are 1,050–1,070aa (TraN long, TraNL). One TraN, found in six plasmids from Acinetobacter baumannii (891aa), was designated TraN V-shaped (TraNV). Like TraNS, TraNM and TraNL contain a base and one distal tip domain essential for conjugation, whereas TraNV has a base and two distinct tip domains forming a V-shaped structure. TraNM, TraNL and TraNV determine conjugation species specificity, with TraNL cooperating with OmpA. Tip swapping reverses conjugation specificity, revealing how TraNM and TraNL diversity influence plasmid host range and AMR dissemination. Our new data reveal the molecular basis of plasmid host specificity and broaden our understanding of how conjugation drives the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes among clinically relevant bacteria.
AU - He,S
AU - Sanchez,Garrido J
AU - Beis,K
AU - Frankel,G
PY - 2026///
SN - 0021-9193
TI - TraN variants mediate conjugation species specificity of IncA/C, IncH and Acinetobacter baumannii plasmids
T2 - Journal of Bacteriology
ER -
Interested in studying a PhD at the Department of Life Sciences? Find out more about postgraduate research opportunties.