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Proceedings of the International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 2018, 8(2): 113-123
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Article

Bacterial megaplasmids and biodegradation: Solution to persistency of xenobiotics

Ogwugwa Vincent Happy
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Nigeria

Received 1 February 2018;Accepted 8 March 2018;Published 1 June 2018
IAEES

Abstract
Extra chromosomal material called plasmid has an important duty in the gradual change of bacterial sets of genes (genomes) by carrying out horizontal gene transfer processes. However, the origin and evolution of most plasmids remains vague, especially for plasmids that are greater than or equal to 100kb (megaplasmids). Tolerance is key for survival as vector-borne disease causing agents transmit between the arthropod and vertebrate, and temperature fluctuation is an environmental marker inducing change in gene expression of tickborne spirochetes. The tumor-inducing Ti plasmid encodes ample of virulence functions for the crown gall agent Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This includes the vir genes which initiate genetic transformation of host cells and the catabolic genes needed to make use of the opines manufactured by infected plants. The tumor inducing plasmid also encodes, an opine-dependent quorum sensing system that tightly regulates Ti plasmid copy number and its conjugal transfer to other agrobacteria. Many natural Agrobacteria are avirulent, in the absence of the Ti plasmid. The load of harboring the Ti plasmid rests on the environmental context. Aside from infected hosts, plasmid costs are low but the benefit of the plasmid is also never available. Consequently, genotypes without plasmids are favored. On infected plants the expense of the tumor inducing plasmid can be very high, but balanced by the opine advantages, locally favoring plasmid bearing cells.

Keywords megaplasmids;xenobiotics;biodegradation.

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