Plasmid Vectors

Methods and Applications

1. Introduction

In 1952, Joshua Lederberg coined the term plasmid to describe any bacterial genetic element that exists in an extrachromosomal state for at least part of its replication cycle . As this description included bacterial viruses, the definition of what consti­tutes a plasmid was subsequently refined to describe exclusively or predominantly extrachromosomal genetic elements that replicate autonomously. Plasmids are now known to be present in most species of Eubacteria that have been examined, as well as in Archaea and lower Eukarya .

Although most of the genetic material that directs the structure and function of a bacterial cell is contained within the chromosome, plasmids contribute significantly to bacterial genetic diversity and plasticity by encoding functions that might not be specified by the chromosome. For example, antibiotic resis­tance genes are often plasmid-encoded, which allows the bacterium to persist in an antibiotic-containing environment, thereby providing the bacterium with a competi­tive advantage over antibiotic-sensitive species.