title: Plasmid-Mediated Tolerance Toward Environmental Pollutants.
abstract: The survival capacity of microorganisms in a contaminated environment is limited by the concentration and/or toxicity of the pollutant. Through evolutionary processes, some bacteria have developed or acquired mechanisms to cope with the deleterious effects of toxic compounds, a phenomenon known as tolerance. Common mechanisms of tolerance include the extrusion of contaminants to the outer media and, when concentrations of pollutants are low, the degradation of the toxic compound. For both of these approaches, plasmids that encode genes for the degradation of contaminants such as toluene, naphthalene, phenol, nitrobenzene, and triazine or are involved in tolerance toward organic solvents and heavy metals, play an important role in the evolution and dissemination of these catabolic pathways and efflux pumps. Environmental plasmids are often conjugative and can transfer their genes between different strains; furthermore, many catabolic or efflux pump genes are often associated with transposable elements, making them one of the major players in bacterial evolution. In this review, we will briefly describe catabolic and tolerance plasmids and advances in the knowledge and biotechnological applications of these plasmids.
authors.affiliation: Estación Experimental del Zaidin (CSIC), Environmental Protection Department, Profesor Albareda, 1, 18008 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Segura
authors.affiliation: CIDERTA, Laboratorio de Investigación y Control Agroalimentario (LICAH), Parque Huelva Empresarial, 21007 Huelva, Spain.
authors.forename: Lázaro
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.affiliation: Estación Experimental del Zaidin (CSIC), Environmental Protection Department, Profesor Albareda, 1, 18008 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ramos
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001692:Biological Transport; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D010957:Plasmids
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D019216:Metals, Heavy