Editing Restriction modification system (section)

== Relation with mobile genetic elements ==
R-M systems are major players in the co-evolutionary interaction between [[mobile genetic elements]] (MGEs) and their hosts.<ref name="nar.oxfordjournals.org">{{cite journal|last1=Oliveira|first1=PH|last2=Touchon|first2=M|last3=Rocha|first3=EPC|title=The interplay of restriction-modification systems with mobile genetic elements and their prokaryotic hosts|journal=Nucleic Acids Res|date=2014|volume=42|issue=16|pages=10618–10631|doi=10.1093/nar/gku734|url= |pmid=25120263|pmc=4176335}}</ref> Genes encoding R-M systems have been reported to move between prokaryotic genomes within MGEs such as plasmids, prophages, insertion sequences/transposons, integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) and integrons. However, it was recently found that there are relatively few R-M systems in plasmids, some in prophages, and practically none in phages. On the other hand, all these MGEs encode a large number of solitary R-M genes, notably MTases.<ref name="nar.oxfordjournals.org"/> In light of this, it is likely that R-M mobility may be less dependent on MGEs and more dependent, for example, on the existence of small genomic integration hotspots. It is also possible that R-M systems frequently exploit other mechanisms such as natural transformation, vesicles, nanotubes, gene transfer agents or generalized transduction in order to move between genomes.{{cn|date=October 2022}}