Antibiotic resistance genes can spread among bacteria, posing a serious threat to human health. The rapid spread of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria is closely related to the horizontal transfer of mobile genetic elements, such as plasmids. IncX plasmids have attracted widespread attention because of their ability to carry and spread resistance genes (such as carbapenem, polymyxin, and tetracycline resistance genes).

On March 4, 2025, the team of Liu Jianhua from the School of Veterinary Medicine at South China Agricultural University published a research paper titled "Comprehensive analysis of Enterobacteriaceae IncX plasmids reveals robust conjugation regulators PrfaH, H-NS, and conjugation-fitness tradeoff" in Communications Biology.

The article analyzed the crystal structure of PrfaH and found that it is similar to the structure of RfaH encoded by the E. coli chromosome, but there are differences in key amino acid residues, leading to the specificity of its target sequences and functions. ReadCrystal Biotechnology is honored to have participated in the work of analyzing the crystal structure of PrfaH.