Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada.
Curr Opin Microbiol. 2017 Aug;38:44-50. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2017.03.014. Epub 2017 May 5.
Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) are nearly ubiquitous in microbial genomes and influence their evolution by providing adaptive functions to their host and by enhancing genome plasticity and diversification. For a long-time, it has been assumed that by integrating into the chromosome of their host, these self-transmissible elements were passively inherited in subsequent generations. Recent findings point to a much more complex story that includes multiple strategies used by ICEs to leverage maintenance in cell populations such as transient replication, active partition of the excised circular intermediate or disassembly into multiple parts scattered in the chromosome. Here I review these diverse mechanisms of stabilization in the general context of ICEs belonging to diverse families.
整合子-接合元件（ICEs）在微生物基因组中几乎无处不在，通过为宿主提供适应性功能以及增强基因组的可塑性和多样性来影响其进化。长期以来，人们一直认为，这些可自我转移的元件通过整合到宿主的染色体中，在随后的世代中被被动遗传。最近的研究结果表明，情况要复杂得多，其中包括 ICE 利用多种策略来维持细胞群体中的存在，如短暂复制、切除的环状中间物的主动分配或分解成散布在染色体中的多个部分。在这里，我将在属于不同家族的 ICE 的一般背景下，回顾这些不同的稳定机制。
