Megaplasmids in the preterm infant gut microbiome and beyond

Summary: Large extrachromosomal elements, such as plasmids and bacteriophages, are notoriously challenging to assemble and link to bacterial hosts in complex metagenomes. Leveraging PacBio sequencing, we have curated complete and previously uncharacterized megaplasmids from the preterm infant gut microbiome. Using a variety of computational approaches, we are deciphering the functions encoded on these plasmids and attempting to identify their bacterial hosts. Finally, a survey of other metagenomic datasets suggests plasmids of this nature are present across a broader range of microbiomes.