Wang Guan-Lin, Chang Yi-Ren
Department of Physics, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 116, 88, Sec.4, Ting-Chou Rd., Taipei, 116, Taiwan.
Biochem Biophys Rep. 2025 Jun 23;43:102108. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2025.102108. eCollection 2025 Sep.
High-copy-number (hcn) plasmids exhibit distinct spatial organization within bacterial cells, yet the underlying mechanisms and functional implications remain poorly understood. In this study, we systematically investigated the role of transcriptional activity and host cellular states in plasmid clustering. Using fluorescence imaging and quantitative analyses, we observed that transcriptional repression induced transient plasmid clustering, while transcriptional enhancement influenced clustering in a promoter-dependent manner. Additionally, environmental cues, such as glucose addition and growth phase transitions, modulate plasmid clustering independently of transcriptional activity. Glucose supplementation led to rapid plasmid dispersion, suggesting a link between metabolic state and plasmid dynamics. The switching between dispersed and clustered plasmid distributions as growth phase changes correlate with alterations in nucleoid organization. These findings highlight the complex interplay between transcription, nucleoid structure, and cellular state in regulating plasmid spatial distribution, providing new insights into bacterial genome organization and adaptation.
高拷贝数（hcn）质粒在细菌细胞内呈现出独特的空间组织形式，但其潜在机制和功能影响仍知之甚少。在本研究中，我们系统地研究了转录活性和宿主细胞状态在质粒聚集过程中的作用。通过荧光成像和定量分析，我们观察到转录抑制诱导了短暂的质粒聚集，而转录增强则以启动子依赖的方式影响聚集。此外，环境线索，如添加葡萄糖和生长阶段转变，独立于转录活性调节质粒聚集。补充葡萄糖导致质粒迅速分散，表明代谢状态与质粒动态之间存在联系。随着生长阶段的变化，分散和聚集的质粒分布之间的切换与类核组织的改变相关。这些发现突出了转录、类核结构和细胞状态在调节质粒空间分布中的复杂相互作用，为细菌基因组组织和适应性提供了新的见解。
