2.9: bacteria Flashcards
what is a bacterium?
- small unicellular prokaryotes
- lacks a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles
what kind of DNA do bacteria have?
circular DNA
what type of ribosomes do bacteria have?
70S
how many oriR do bacteria have
single
what are plasmids?
- extrachromosomal DNA
- replicate independently of chromosomal DNA
- involved in conjugation & antibiotic resistance
describe the process of DNA replication (before binary fission)
- DNA double helix unwinds and unzips @ oriR
- replicates via semi-conservative model
- bidirectional replication
- circular DNA -> interlocking structure -> topoisomerase cuts, reseals 2 DNA molecules
describe binary fission
- bacterial chromosome is attached to plasma membrane @ oriC
- replicates , 2nd oriC attaches to membrane adjacently
- cell elongates by growing membrane, depositing cell wall material btwn 2 chromos
- after growing, septum forms in btwn
- septum fuses -> 2 identical daughter cells
what is the significance of genetic variation?
- rapidly changing environment
- natural selection
- occur due to point mutations/genetic transfer
what is conjugation?
- unidirectional transfer of F plasmid
- via direct contact
- from F+ -> F-
what does the F plasmid contain
fertility factor
- enables sex pilus production
surface protein gene
- surface exclusion
- sex pilus will not attach
endonuclease gene
- cut strand of dsDNA @ oriT
regulatory gene
origin of replication
- rolling circle mechanism
describe the process of conjugation
- F+ produces sex pilus that binds to specific binding site @ F- cell
- sex pilus retracts, pulling cells tgt
- temporary cytoplasmic bridge built
- 1 strand of F plasmid dsDNA cleaved by endonuclease @ oriT, transferred to recipient cell
- F plasmid replicated via rolling circle mechanism
- free 3’ end of cleaved DNA extended by DNA pol -> new strand
- new strand displaces cleaved strand via 5’ end
- ss F plasmid transferred acts as template for 2nd DNA strand
- ds plasmid in recipient circularises
F- -> F+ !!
what is transformation
uptake of naked, foreign DNA in environment by competent bacterial cells
incorporated into genome
change in genotype and phenotype of cell
describe the process of transformation
- dsDNA of dead recognised
- bound by competence factors on CSM of recipient
- dsDNA fragment enters
- one strand degraded by endonuclease/exonuclease
- other dsDNA aligns w homologous regions of bacteria
- integrated via homologous recombination
- needs 2 crossover events
recombinant cell !!
how to induce competence
heat shock
- cold CaCl2
- brief heat
- transient pores
electroporation
- electric shock
- transient pores
induce DNA uptake !!
what is generalised transduction?
- lytic cycle bacteriophages (virulent: T4 phage)
- random transfer of donor bacterial genome -> recipient