Lang Andrew S, Buchan Alison, Burrus Vincent
Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
Nat Rev Microbiol. 2025 Mar 11. doi: 10.1038/s41579-025-01157-y.
Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) have profound influence on the ecology and evolution of organisms, including bacteria. During the past two decades, a great number of new types of MGEs have been discovered that now seem to be prevalent in diverse bacterial lineages. With the rapid discovery of new categories of MGEs comes an array of new acronyms that present a challenge to grasp. Moreover, it is now clear that there are complex evolutionary connections and molecular interactions among MGEs, and that these entities are not discrete, independent genetic elements acting in isolation. Different types of MGEs share and exchange genes, and coresident MGEs interact with each other within cells, in both cooperative and antagonistic ways. This all greatly affects the end results that are felt by the host organism. In this Review, we strive to clarify emerging bacterial MGE terms and elements while also presenting a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge landscape regarding MGEs in bacteria, their evolutionary relationships and interactions with their host and with one another.
移动遗传元件（MGEs）对包括细菌在内的生物体的生态和进化具有深远影响。在过去二十年中，已发现大量新型MGEs，如今它们似乎在不同的细菌谱系中普遍存在。随着新型MGEs的迅速发现，出现了一系列新的首字母缩略词，这对理解构成了挑战。此外，现在很清楚，MGEs之间存在复杂的进化联系和分子相互作用，而且这些实体并非孤立作用的离散、独立的遗传元件。不同类型的MGEs共享和交换基因，共存的MGEs在细胞内以合作和拮抗的方式相互作用。所有这些都极大地影响了宿主生物体所感受到的最终结果。在本综述中，我们努力阐明新兴的细菌MGE术语和元件，同时全面概述目前关于细菌中MGEs的知识状况、它们的进化关系以及它们与宿主和彼此之间的相互作用。
