4.1 Spontaneous Mutation of Bacteria Flashcards
What are bacteriophages?
viruses that use bacteria as their hosts
What areas of research have bacteria become important tools for?
cloning
bioengineering
Recombinant DNA procedures
Why are bacteria an excellent tool for genetic research?
- grow quickly
- easy to isolate one species or strain
- can be grown in almost any lab
How are specific bacterial strains/species isolated?
selection of antibiotic resistant strains
What is a major defining characteristic of bacteria?
spontaneous mutation
What is spontaneous mutation?
refers to the process by which bacteria undergo random mutations
What bacteriophage is E. coli sensitive to?
T1
What does the bacteriophage T1 do to a bacterial cell once it invades?
lyses the cell to release its progeny
What does adaptive immunity refer to?
presence of the T1 bacteriophage induced a resistance in the bacterial community that allowed it to survive
When did Luria and Deblruck present their experiment?
1940s
What was Luria and Delbruck’s experiment?
bacteria are capable of random and spontaneous mutation
What is selection in regards to research?
choosing bacterial colonies in conditions where the desired mutation grows but the wild type does not
How do scientists accomplish selection?
add a resistance marker to a DNA plasmid that contains the gene of interest
How are bacteria in a lab grown?
- liquid culture
- plates on agar
What is agar?
semi-solid gelatinous material
