= Episome partitioning
<Episome partitioning> distributes an independently maintained genetic element to descendant <cells> during <cell division>. Random allocation can lose a low-copy element from some daughters, whereas active tethering or segregation systems can improve retention. Replication and partitioning are therefore distinct requirements: an element can copy efficiently yet still be lost if its copies travel together into only one daughter. <Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition by Bruce Alberts and others>[Chapter 5, The Initiation and Completion of DNA Replication: plasmid maintenance]{ref}
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