Illustration of auxiliary DNA-binding factor 2 from the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. This protein forms part of the bacterial relaxosome, a protein-DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) complex that initiates plasmid transfer during conjugation, the process by which genetic material is transferred from one bacterium to another. Plasmids are small rings of DNA found in the bacterial cytoplasm. They often carry genes that confer advantages, such as antibiotic resistance or the ability to use a new metabolite.