van der Meer lab/A new study by Sandra Sulser and Andrea Vucicevic and coworkers shows how a small subpopulation of Pseudomonas cells differentiates to develop transfer competence, making them capable to transfer an integrative and conjugative element at high efficiency to new recipients.
A bistable differentiation pathway underlying conjugation of ICE elements
van der Meer lab/A new study by Sandra Sulser and Andrea Vucicevic and coworkers shows how a small subpopulation of Pseudomonas cells differentiates to develop transfer competence, making them capable to transfer an integrative and conjugative element at high efficiency to new recipients.
Their study showed the extent of the different steps that express in temporal sequence within the same population of cells, and suggest a mechanism how this regulatory 'shielding' is accomplished.
The study further shows how selection may not only favor the outcomes of horizontal gene transfer but also the regulatory mechanisms themselves that control efficient transfer.