A plasmid is a small, circular, double-stranded DNA molecule that is distinct from a cell's chromosomal DNA. Plasmids naturally exist in bacterial cells, and they also occur in some eukaryotes.

An international collaboration has achieved an important breakthrough in understanding the genetic mechanisms that allow bacteria to build resistance to drugs.

An international collaboration has achieved an important breakthrough in understanding the genetic mechanisms that allow bacteria to build resistance to drugs.

Fu and colleagues used Vibrio cholerae bacteria as a model for studying the plasmid defense system known as DdmDE, consisting of proteins called DdmD and DdmE, using cryo-electron microscopy to ...

Researchers made a “huge breakthrough” when they did an experiment “purely out of curiosity” which solves “a decades-long ...

As part of this DNA exchange, plasmids often provide recipient bacteria with genetic advantages. For example, many antibiotic-resistance genes are spread through plasmid transfer between bacteria, ...