Extra-chromosomal elements and the evolution of cellular DNA replication machineries

DNA replication is fundamental to the propagation of cellular life. Remarkably, the bacterial replication machinery is distinct from that used by archaea and eukaryotes. In this article, we discuss the role that lateral gene transfer by extrachromosomal elements might have had in shaping the replication machinery and even modulating the manner in which host cellular genomes are replicated.