Module 5 - Bacterial Genetic Analysis Flashcards
What types of bacteria has scientists focused on for science?
Pathogenic bacteria, or ones with practical importance
What are some examples of bacteria that would be commonly studied?
E. coli found in the gut, salmonella species
What are some applications of bacterial genetics?
Industrial applications, Streptomycin antibiotics, E. coli protein production, and Pseudomonas decontamination
How is Streptomycin used in bacterial genetics applications?
It can create antibiotics
How is E. coli used in bacterial genetics applications?
It can produce useful proteins
How is Pseudomonas used in bacterial genetics applications?
It can be used for decontamination by breaking down toluene
True or false: microbial genetics is important in the study of microbiology
True: it is important to understand the natural genetic tools for genetic research
What is growth?
Increasing the number of cells (not size)
In which organisms is it easier to detect mutations: bacteria or eukaryotes?
Bacteria
How come it is easier to detect mutations in bacteria?
They have one copy of a gene, so a mutation can more easily be seen in the phenotype
How come it is harder to detect mutations in eukaryotes?
They have two copies of a gene, so a mutation can be masked by the other, functioning gene
In the first half of the 20th century, what was the belief about microbial genetics?
Microbes were too small to have genetic exchange
Before bacteria, what organisms were shown to have genetic exchange?
Corn, peas, and paramecium protozoa
What did the study of genetic exchange in eukaryotic organisms show?
Inheritance followed a sexual event
What do different strains of bacteria mean?
Genetically different cells (in the same species) with different phenotypes
What organism did Lederberg use for his experiments?
E. coli
What type of E. coli did Lederberg use in his experiments?
Different mutant nutrient strains, which had different metabolic requirements
What is an auxotroph?
A mutant strain having nutritional requirements additional to the wild type organism
What type of media would an auxotroph need?
Basic media, plus extra vitamins or amino acids
What is a prototroph?
A parent strain (to an auxotroph) that is able to grow just on basic media
What type of media would a prototroph need?
Basic media
What is found in basic media?
A source of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus (no additional vitamins or amino acids)
How come auxotrophs cannot grow in basic media?
They have a mutation that prevents them from making a specific vitamin or amino acid
In Lederberg’s experiments, which organisms could grow in medium with both methionine and proline?
All of the strains