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.

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

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 ...

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, ...

If we can work out the roles plasmids play inside bacteria, then we can use the information to develop a new generation of therapeutics that can target drug resistant infections. John Innes Centre ...