Microbial Genetics, Growth, and Metabolism (complete) Flashcards
What is horizontal gene transfer
it is the passing of genetic information between two mature cells. (instead of vertical gene transfer, which is from parent to offspring)
Do prokaryotes have a nucleus
nope, they do have what is called a nucleoid. Which is just where the prokaryote has its genetic material, but it is not confined in a membrane
What are plasmids
small segments of DNA in prokaryotes that Replicate independently of the prokaryotic chromosome
Are plasmids essential for the life of the prokaryote
no they are not essential for normal growth, reproduction, and metabolism
although plasmids aren’t essential, how can they be beneficial to the prokaryote
they contain factors that help it survive
what types of factors can be found on vectors (4)
- Fertility Factors (genes for conjugation)
- Resistance Factors (against antimicrobials and metals)
- Bacteriocin Factors (toxins against similar organisms)
- Virulence factors (virulence factors against host)
Can plasmids integrate themselves into the bacterial chromosomes
yep
What are the three ways in which bacteria can transfer genetic information
- Transformation
- Transduction
- Conjugation
What is transformation (bacterial genetic information transfer)
when a bacterial cell picks up free DNA fragments and incorporates them into their chromosome
What is Transduction (bacterial genetic information transfer)
When an empty viral phage coat gets loaded with bacterial DNA, then injects it into another cell
What is conjugation
When a F+ (fertility plasmid) Cell uses a conjugation pilus to connect to another cell, then it transfers it DNA through the hollow conjugation pili
what was the finding from Griffiths experiment with rough and smooth Streptococcus Pneumoniae cells
that the new, non-virulent strain, would pick up and use the virulent DNA from the dead cells and use it to kill the mice . Proved transformation happens
What happens when an F+ cell successfully conjugates with an F- cell
the Fertility plasmid will be transferred to the F- cell, making it F+
What is an HFR cell
a cell with High Frequency of Recombination, which is a cell which has had the Fertility plasmid become integrated into its chromosome
What happens typically when an HFR conjugates with an F- cell
it only transfers a portion of the fertility plasmid, along with part of its chromosome. so the F- cell has more DNA, but not a complete Fertility plasmid so it is still F-, and is also F’
What are transposons
sequences in the prokaryotic chromosome that can break out, replicate, then reinsert themselves into different places on the chromosome.
can transposons jump to plasmids
yep
What is VRE
vancomycin resistant Enterococcus
what is MRSA
methicilin resistant Staphylococcus aureus
What is a silent mutation
a swapped out base in DNA that doesn’t lead to a change in the corresponding amino acid
What is a missense mutation
a swapped out base in DNA that causes a change in the corresponding amino acid
what is a nonsense mutation
a swapped out base in DNA that leads to an early stop codon
What is a frameshift mutation
either an insertion or deletion of a base pair in DNA, this causes all of the following amino acids to be altered due to the way it causes the reading frame to be shifted
What does UV light do to DNA
causes a thymine dimer, which is the creation of bonds between two thymines on the same strand of DNA, causing a bubble of sorts between the two strands
How is Recombinant DNA technology done
you get your gene of interest, and cut it out of its DNA, and place it into a plasmid, put that plasmid into bacteria, and have the bacteria produce the protein of choice
How does PCR work
you put primers in with the DNA you are running, heat it up so the double stranded DNA separates, then cool it down so the primer attaches to a single strand of DNA, and let the transcription machinery create a copy strand. then repeat over and over again.
What is the end goal of all microbial metabolism
to reproduce the organism
what is microbial growth
an increase in a population of microbes, rather than the microbes increasing in size
What are the necessary elements for microbes
carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen
What is an autotroph
an organism that has the ability to get its carbon from the CO2 in the air (green plants)
What is a heterotroph
an organism that gets it carbon from consuming carbs, proteins, fatty acids, and amino acids.
What are chemotrophs
organisms that get their energy from redox reactions with organic and inorganic material
What are phototrophs
organisms that get their energy from light
What are examples of photoautotrophs
plants, algae, cyanobacteria
what are examples of chemoautotrophs
only prokaryotes
hydrogen, sulfur, and nitrifying bacteria