Chapter 7 Flashcards
What are common allelic variations among bacteria?
Sensitivity to antibiotics
Differences in their nutrient requirements for growth
What is genetic transfer?
The physical transfer of genetic material from one bacterial cell to another.
Why is genetic transfer an advantage?
It enhances the genetic diversity of bacterial species.
What is an example of the advantage of genetic transfer?
A bacterial cell carrying a gene that provides antibiotic resistance may transfer this gene to another bacterial cel, allowing that bacterial cell to survive exposure.
What is the first mechanism for transfering genetic material?
Conjugation
What is conjugation?
A form of genetic transfer between bacteria that involves direct physical interaction between two bacterial cells. One bacterium acts as donor and transfers genetic material to a recipient cell.
What is a second mechanism of genetic transfer?
Transduction
What is transduction?
A form of genetic transfer between bacterial cells in which a bacteriophage transfers bacterial DNA from one bacterium to another
What is the third mechanism for genetic transfer?
Transformation
What is transformation?
- when a plasmid vector or segment of chromosomal DNA is introduced into a bacterial cell
- When a normal cell is converted into a malignant cell.
A form of genetic transfer that involves the uptake of a fragment of DNA from the environment is called
a. conjugation
b. transduction
c. transformation
d. all of the above.
c. transformation
Who first discovered bacteria’s transfer of genetic material? When?
Joshua Lederberg
Edward Tatum
1946
What is a minimal medium?
A type of growth medium for microorganisms that contains a mixture of reagents that are required for growth; nothing additional has been added.
What is a auxotroph?
A strain that cannot synthesize a particular nutriet and needs that nutrient supplemented in its growth medium or diet.
What is a prototroph?
A strain that does not need a particular nutrient supplemented in its growth medium or diet.
What did lederberg and Tatum study?
E. coli and putting bacteria in an environment which lacks the needed nutrients for half of the bacteria but, is perfect for another. They observed the transfer of genetic material.
Describe how gene transfer can explain the growth of colonies on the middle plate?
To grow, the colonies must have functional copies of all five genes. This could occur by the transfer of the met+ bio+ genes to the met- bio- thr+thi+ strain or the transfer of the thr+leu+ and thi+ genes to the met+bio+thr-leu- strains
In 1950, what did Bernard Davis do?
conducted an experiment showing that two strains of bacteria must make physical contact with each other to transfer genetic material.
How did Bernard David conduct his experiment?
Used a U-tube at the bottom is a filter with pores small enough to allow the passage of genetic material, but too small to allow bacteria cells to pass. One side was one bacterial strain with a combination of nutritional requirements, the other had a different strain requiring nutritional requirements. It showed no bacteria colonies grew on the plate, they needed direct contact to grow.
In Bernard Davis study, what was the purpose of using a U-Tube?
Because bacteria are too large to pass through the filter, the aparatus can determine if direct cell-to-cell contact is necessary for gene transfer to occur.
What is an F factor?
A fertility factor found in certain strains of bacteria in addition to their circular chromosome. Strains of bacteria that contain an F factor are designated F+; strains without F factor are F-
F factor carry what?
Several genes that are required for conjugation to occur.
Would a circular DNA molecule be found in an F+ or F- cell?
F+
What is sex pili?
A structure on the surface of bacterial cells that acts as an attachment site to promote the binding of bacteria to each other.
The gene encoding the pilin protein (traA) is located where?
On the F factor.
The pili act as what?
Attachment sites that promote the binding of bacteria to each other.
F+ strain makes physical contact with what strain?
F- strain
What is a conjugation bridge?
A connection between two bacterial cells that provides a passageway for DNA during conjugation.
What are the functions of relaxase, coupling factor, and the exporter?
Relaxase is part of the relaxsome, which is needed for the cutting of the F factor and its transfer to the recipient cell. The coupling factor guides the DNA strand to the exporter, which transports it to the recipient cell.
Genes within the F factor encode a protein complex called what in conjugation?
Relaxsome
What is a relaxosome?
A protein complex that recognizes the origin of transfer in F factors and other conjugative plasmids, cuts one DNA strand, and aids in the transfer of the T DNA.
The relaxosome first recognizes what in conjugation?
A DNA in the F factor known as the origin of transfer.
What is the origin of transfer?
The location on an F factor or within the chromosome of an Hfr strain that is the initiation site for the transfer of DNA from one bacterium to another during conjugation.
After the relaxosome recognizes a the origin of transfer in conjugation, what happens?
One DNA strand in the site is cut. The relaxosome also catalyzes the separation of the DNA strands, and only the cut DNA strand is transferred to the recipient cell.
What happens when the DNA strands separate in conjugation?
Most of the proteins within the relaxosome are released, but one protein, called relaxase, remains bound to the end of the cut DNA strand.
What is a nucleoprotein?
A complex of DNA or RNA and protein.
It is the complex between the single-stranded DNA and relaxase.
Why is it called nucleoprotein?
It contains both nucleic acid (DNA) and protein (relaxase)
What is the second phase of conjugation?
The export of the nucleoprotein complex from the donor cell to the recipient cell.
How does the export of the nucleoprotein complex from one cell to the other cell happen?
The DNA/relaxase complex is recognized by a coupling factor that promotes the entry of the nucleoprotein into the exporter.
What is the exporter?
A complex of proteins that spans both inner and outer membranes of the donor cell.
In bacteria, this complex is formed from 10-15 proteins encoded by genes within the F factor.
Once the DNA/relaxase complex is pumped out of the donor cell, what happens?
It travels through the conjugation bridge and then into the recipient cell.
The other strand of the F factor DNA remains in the donor cell, where DNA replication restores the F factor DNA to its original double-stranded condition.
After the recipient cell receives a single strand of the F factor DNA molecule in conjugation, what happens?
Relaxase catalyzes the joining of the ends of the linear DNA molecule to form a circular molecule. The single-stranded DNA is replicated in the recipient cell to become double-stranded.
What is the result of conjugation?
The recipient cell has aquired F factor and is converted to an F+ cell.
What is a plasmid?
A general name used to describe circular pieces of DNA that exist independently of the chromosomal DNA. Some plasmids are used as vectors in cloning experiments.
General name for F Factor.
What are episomes?
A segment of bacterial DNA that can exist as an F factor and also integrate into the chromosome.
A plasmid has its own what?
Origin of replication that allows it to be replicated independently of the bacterial chromosome.
What influences how many copies of the plasmid are found in a cell?
The DNA sequence of the origin of replication.
Why do bacteria have plasmids?
They are not usually necessary for bacterial survival, however, certain genes within a plasmid provide some type of growth advantage to the cell.
What is the first category of plasmids?
Fertility plasmids-F factors, allow bacteria to conjugate with each other.
What is the second category of plasmids?
Resistance plasmids-R factors: contain genes that confer resistancce against antibiotics and other types of toxins.
What is the Third category of plasmids?
Degradative plasmids: Carry genes that enable the bacterium to digest and utilize unusual substances.
Exampe: a degradative plasmid may carry genes that allow a bacterium to digest an organic solvent such as toluene
What is the fourth category of plasmids?
Col-plasmids: they contain genes that encode colicins, which are proteins that kill other bacteria.
What is the fifth category of plasmids?
Virulence plasmids: carry genes that turn a bacterium into a pathogenic strain.
A bacterial cell with an F factor conjugates with an F- cell. Following conjugation, the two cells would be a. F+ b. F- C. one F+ and one F- d. none of the above.
a. F+
Which of the following is a type of plasmid?
a. F factor (fertility factor)
b. R factor (resistance plasmids)
c. Virulence plasmids
d. all of the above.
d. all of the above.
Who discovered Hfr strain?
Luca Cavalli-Sforza
What is an Hfr strain?
A bacterial strain in which an F factor has become integrated into the bacterial chromosome. During conjugation, an Hfr strain can transfer segments of the bacterial chromosome.
Why is it called Hfr?
High frequency of recombination
How is an Hfr strain formed?
An F factor may align with a similar region found in the bacterial chromosome. Due to recombination, the F factor may integrate into the bacterial chromosome.
F Factros can integrate where?
In several different sites that are scattered around the E coli chromosome.
How is an F’ factor different from an F factor?
F’ factor carries a portion of the bacterial chromosome, whereas an F factor does not.
How is an Hfr strain excised from the bacterial chromosome?
The F factor DNA is looped out from the chromosome, which is followed by recombination that releases the F factor from the chromosome.
It is imprecise.
What is an F’ Factor?
an F factor that also carries genes derived from the bacterial chromosome.
What determines the starting point and direction of the transfer process of Hfr cell to an F- cell?
The origin of transfer within an integrated F factor.
What happens when one of the DNA strands is cut in Hfr cell transfer to F- cell.
The cut site is the starting point at which the Hfr chromosome enter the F- recipient cell.
From this starting point, one strand of DNA from the Hfr chromosome begins to enter the F- cell in a linear manner.
The transfer process occurs in conjugation with chromosomal replication, so the Hfr cell retains its original chromosomal composition.
How long is the entire Hfr chromosome transffer?
1.5 to 2 hours.
Why is only a portion of the Hfr chromosome transmitted to the F- cell?
Because most conjugations do not last 1.5 to 2 hours
Once the chromosomal material from the Hfr cell is inside the F- cell, what happens?
The material can swap or recombine, with the homologous region of the recipient cell’s chromosome.