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Microbial Genetics

Microbial genetics is the study of heritable information transfer in microorganisms like bacteria and archaea. There are three main types of horizontal genetic transfer between bacteria: conjugation, transduction, and transformation. Conjugation involves direct contact between bacteria and transfer of genetic material through a pilus. Transduction occurs via bacteriophages incorporating bacterial DNA into their genomes. Transformation is the uptake of free DNA by competent bacteria from their environment.

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447 views

Microbial Genetics

Microbial genetics is the study of heritable information transfer in microorganisms like bacteria and archaea. There are three main types of horizontal genetic transfer between bacteria: conjugation, transduction, and transformation. Conjugation involves direct contact between bacteria and transfer of genetic material through a pilus. Transduction occurs via bacteriophages incorporating bacterial DNA into their genomes. Transformation is the uptake of free DNA by competent bacteria from their environment.

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shrey chaudhary
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Microbial genetics (Unit-2)

Q1-What is microbial genetics?


Ans- Microbial genetics is the study of the mechanisms of heritable
information in microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, viruses
and some protozoa and fungi.

It studies microorganisms for different purposes. The


microorganisms that are observed are bacteria, and archaea. Some
fungi and protozoa are also subjects used to study in this field.

Methods of genetic transfer


There are numerous bacteria found on planet earth. They divide
quickly by binary fission producing identical daughter cells. Thus,
the genetic information is transferred from the mother to the
offspring and is known as vertical transmission.

The mutations are transferred from one bacteria to another


through horizontal transmission. There are three different types of
horizontal transmission for the transfer of genetic information.

Conjugation: Transfer of genes between cells that are in physical


contact with one another
Transduction: Transfer of genes from one cell to another by a
bacteriophage
Transformation: Transfer of cell-free or “naked” DNA from one
cell to another
Conjugation
Conjugation is the method of transfer of genetic material from
one bacteria to another placed in contact. This method was
proposed by Lederberg and Tatum. They discovered that the F-
factor can move between E.coli cells and proposed the concept
of conjugation.
Conjugation was the first extensively studied method of gene
transfer.
Conjugation requires donor cell-to-recipient cell contact and is
mediated by sex pilus.
The process occurs between two living cells.
Requires mobilization of donor bacterium’s chromosome/
plasmid.
Plasmids are genetic elements most frequently transferred by
conjugation.
There are various conjugal plasmids carried by various bacterial
species. Conjugation is carried out in several steps:
Mating pair formation
Conjugal DNA synthesis
DNA transfer
Maturation
Mechanism of Bacterial Conjugation
Bacterial conjugation involves the following steps:
Pilus Formation
The donor cells (F+ cells) form a sex pilus and begin contact with
an F- recipient cell.
Physical Contact between Donor and Recipient Cell
The pilus forms a conjugation tube and enables direct contact
between the donor and the recipient cells.
Transfer of F-Plasmid
The F-factor opens at the origin of replication. One strand is cut
at the origin of replication, and the 5’ end enters the recipient
cell.
Synthesis of Complementary Strand
The donor and the recipient strand both contain a single strand
of the F-plasmid. Thus, a complementary strand is synthesized in
both the recipient and the donor. The recipient cell now contains
a copy of F plasmid and becomes a donor cell.
Transduction
Transduction is the process of transfer of genes from the
recipient to the donor through bacteriophage.
Phage-mediated genetic recombination in bacteria i.e. phage, is
used to transfer DNA from one bacterium to another.
Transducing particle: bacterial nucleic acid in phage coat.

Transduction is of two types:


Generalized Transduction
Specialized Transduction

Generalized Transduction
In this type, the bacteriophage first infects the donor cells and
begins the lytic cycle. The virus then develops its components
using the host cell machinery. The host cell DNA is hydrolyzed
into small fragments by the viral enzymes.
Small pieces of bacteria DNA is now integrated into viral
genome. When the virus infects another bacteria the DNA is
transferred into it.
Specialized Transduction
In this, only a few restricted bacteria are transferred from donor
to recipient bacteria. This is carried out by temperate
bacteriophage which undergoes the lysogenic cycle.
The virus enters the bacteria and integrates its genome within
the host cell DNA. It remains dormant and passes on from
generation to generation. When the lysogenic cell is exposed to
some external stimulus, the lytic cycle begins.
The viral genome is induced in the host cell genome. Due to this,
the phage genome sometimes carries the bacterial genome with
it and integrates it into the genome of the recipient cell. Here,
only the restricted genome has the possibility of entering the
recipient cells.

Transformation
Transformation is the process of DNA uptake by the bacteria
from the surrounding environment. The cells that have the
ability to uptake DNA are known as competent cells.
Recipient cells uptake free DNA released into the environment.
DNA is released into the environment when another bacterial
cell (i.e., donor) dies and undergoes lysis.
Not all bacteria can go for transformation; only some bacteria
can take free DNA and can go through transformation. These
types of bacteria are called competent bacteria.
Bacterial Competence
Not all bacteria are capable of taking up DNA from the
surrounding environment. Such bacteria are made artificially
competent. This is achieved by using chemicals and electrical
pulses.
Chemicals- The cells are chilled and made permeable in the
presence of calcium phosphate. They are then incubated with
the DNA and provided with a heat shock treatment that causes
the DNA to enter the cells.
Electroporation- The bacterial cells are subjected to electrical
pulses to make them permeable and cause the DNA to enter into
cells.
Key points:
In transformation, a bacterium takes up a piece of DNA floating
in its environment.
In transduction, DNA is accidentally moved from one bacterium
to another by a virus.
In conjugation, DNA is transferred between bacteria through a
tube between cells.
Transposable elements are chunks of DNA that "jump" from one
place to another. They can move bacterial genes that give
bacteria antibiotic resistance or make them disease-causing.

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