Plasmids of lactococci-genetic accessories or genetic necessities?

Abstract

Lactococci are one of the most exploited microorganisms used in the manufacture of food. These intensively used cultures are generally characterized by having a rich plasmid complement. It could be argued that it is the plasmid complement of commercially utilized cultures that gives them their technical superiority and individuality. Consequently, it is timely to reflect on the desirable characteristics encoded on lactococcal plasmids. It is argued that plasmids play a key role in the evolution of modern starter strains and are a lot more than just selfish replicosomes but more essential necessities of intensively used commercial starters. Moreover, the study of plasmid biology provides a genetic blueprint that has proved essential for the generation of molecular tools for the genetic improvement of Lactococcus lactis. © 2005 Federation of European Microbiological Societies.

Disciplines

Biology

DOI

10.1111/j.1574-6976.2005.00011.x

Full Publication Date

March 2006

Publication Details

FEMS Microbiology Reviews

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Resource Type

journal article

Access Rights

open access

License Condition

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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