Stabilizing bacterial conjugation via conjugation junction proteins

Bacterial conjugation mediates the transfer of genetic material among bacterial communities. The genetic material transferred will contain accessory genes encoding for virulence and antibiotic resistance. The mechanism in which two bacterial cells undergoing conjugation stabilize is not well understood. Previous studies have shown that two proteins, OmpK36 and TraN, found on the outer membrane of recipient and donor cells, respectively, of Klebsiella pneumoniae interact with each other to support efficient conjugation.