Earlier this fall, we published a new article in the open-access ASM journal mSphere, which describe how biofilm formation in B. subtilis drives the transfer of the integrative and conjugative element ICEBs1. This very efficient transfer is independent of the activation of ICEBs1, i.e. its excision levels, which are not affected by biofilm formation. Interestingly, we observed that production of the extracellular biofilm matrix by recipient but not donor cells is crucial for the conjugative transfer. This work has major implications in the current understanding of horizontal gene transfer in environmental conditions. Few articles have described conjugation events within biofilms, and none have examined ICEs, albeit these elements are the most prevalent in bacterial genomes and highly involved in antibiotic gene resistance transfer. Importantly, this characterization was performed in a native context, i.e. without artificial activation of ICEBs1 excmsphere.asm.org/content/3/5/e00473-18ision, which is rarely the case for ICE characterization. Thus, we demonstrate how biofilm lifestyle favors genetic transfer, and may greatly accelerate antibiotics resistance dissemination. Interested? See the full article here .
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