Bt Research 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 63-69 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/bt 68 Plasmid-mediated HGT provides important genetic resources for the innovation of Bt biocontrol agents. By transferring or recombining insecticidal toxin genes, stress resistance genes, etc., Bt strains with a wider insecticidal range and stronger environmental adaptability can be rapidly cultivated, improving the efficiency and sustainability of biological control. Plasmid engineering and synthetic biology methods are also expected to achieve precise regulation of these beneficial traits, bringing new opportunities to agriculture and ecological management. Future research needs to focus on the development and application of high-resolution plasmidomics technology to enhance our understanding of plasmid diversity, structure and function. At the same time, in combination with ecological models, the transmission dynamics of plasmids in the natural environment and their impact on microbial communities are systematically evaluated. It is also necessary to enhance the biosafety assessment of plasmid diffusion, prevent the spread of risk genes such as resistance among non-target microorganisms, and ensure the safety and controllability of Bt biocontrol preparations. Acknowledgments The authors appreciate the modification suggestions from two anonymous peer reviewers on the manuscript of this study. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Acman M., Van Dorp L., Santini J., and Balloux F., 2019, Large-scale network analysis captures biological features of bacterial plasmids, Nature Communications, 11: 2452. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16282-w Apaydin Ö., Yenidünya A., Harsa S., and Güneş H., 2005, Isolation and characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis strains from different grain habitats in Turkey, World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 21: 285-292. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11274-004-3633-Y Bedhomme S., Pantoja D., and Bravo I., 2017, Plasmid and clonal interference during post horizontal gene transfer evolution, Molecular Ecology, 26(7): 1832-1847. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14056 Brito I., 2021, Examining horizontal gene transfer in microbial communities, Nature Reviews Microbiology, 19: 442-453. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-021-00534-7 Che Y., Yang Y., Xu X., Břinda K., Polz M., Hanage W., and Zhang T., 2021, Conjugative plasmids interact with insertion sequences to shape the horizontal transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(6): e2008731118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2008731118 Domingues S., Lima T., Escobar C., Plantade J., Charpentier X., and Da Silva G., 2025, Large DNA fragment ISEc9-mediated transposition during natural transformation allows interspecies dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes, European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 44: 1417-1424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-025-05113-9 Evans D., Griffith M., Sundermann A., Shutt K., Saul M., Mustapha M., Marsh J., Cooper V., Harrison L., and Van Tyne D., 2020, Systematic detection of horizontal gene transfer across genera among multidrug-resistant bacteria in a single hospital, eLife, 9: 53886. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.53886 Gluck-Thaler E., and Slot J., 2015, Dimensions of horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotic microbial pathogens, PLoS Pathogens, 11(10): e1005156. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1005156 Hall J., Brockhurst M., and Harrison E., 2017, Sampling the mobile gene pool: innovation via horizontal gene transfer in bacteria, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 372(1735): 20160424. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2016.0424 Harrison E., and Brockhurst M., 2012, Plasmid-mediated horizontal gene transfer is a coevolutionary process, Trends in Microbiology, 20(6): 262-267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2012.04.003 Lee I., Eldakar O., Gogarten J., and Andam C., 2021, Bacterial cooperation through horizontal gene transfer, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 37(3): 223-232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2021.11.006 Lerminiaux N., and Cameron A., 2019, Horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in clinical environments, Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 65(1): 34-44. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjm-2018-0275
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