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Measuring Plasmid Conjugation Using Fluorescent Reporters

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Horizontal Gene Transfer

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2075))

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Abstract

Fluorescence-based methods are increasingly popular because they (1) offer a faster alternative to labor-intensive traditional methods, (2) enable the development of automated high-throughput screening procedures, and (3) allow direct visualization of biological processes. Here we describe three fluorescence-based methods applicable for the detection and quantitation of plasmid conjugation. The first method uses flow cytometry as a fast and reliable alternative to traditional plating methods. A second one employs fluorescence expression for high-throughput analysis of plasmid conjugation. Finally we review a third method that enables direct visualization of plasmid transfer under the microscope.

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Correspondence to Raul Fernandez-Lopez .

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Palencia-Gandara, C., Ruiz, R., Fernandez-Lopez, R. (2020). Measuring Plasmid Conjugation Using Fluorescent Reporters. In: de la Cruz, F. (eds) Horizontal Gene Transfer. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2075. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9877-7_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9877-7_7

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-9876-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-9877-7

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