Genética

2009 - 2010

TP – A. Correia

Tema: Gene exchange in bacteria

 1090 Complete Microbial Genomes:
[Archaea] – 78
[Bacteria] - 1012

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=genome
Small genomes - dimensions

Mycoplasma genitalium 580 kb (0.58 Mb)

Chlamidia trachomatis 1 050 kb (1.1 Mb)

Escherichia coli K12 4 600 kb (4.6 Mb)

Streptomyces avermitilis 8 700 kb (8.7 Mb)

Myxococcus xanthus 9 200 kb (9.2 Mb)

Saccharomyces cerevisiae 12 Mb
Small genomes - complexity

Small chromosome (1 072 314 pb ):

Large chromosome (2 961 146 pb ):

The two chromosomes of
Vibrio cholerae
Genome complexity in prokaryotes

9  Circular plasmids 12  Linear plasmids
9,4 kb 5,0 kb 16,8 kb 18,8 kb 24,1 kb
29,8 kb 30,7 kb 30,2 kb 30,3 kb
26,9 kb 29,7 kb 28,6 kb

27,3 kb 36,8 kb

30,6 kb 38,8 kb 53,6 kb

30,8 kb 30,8 kb 30,8 kb
26,5 kb
52,9 kb

Linear chromosome of aprox.  900 kb

Borrelia genome
 Bacterial cell division

Bacterial cell

clone

colony
Bacterial chromosome

Bacterial chromosome

Vertical gene transfer

 Extrachromosomal elements - plasmids

Bacterial
chromosome

penR
Phenotype: penicillin resistant

plasmid

Phenotype: penicillin sensitive

Bacterial conjugation

conjugation

Horizontal gene transfer

Horizontal gene transfer – bacteria to animal

Wolbachia pipientis - bacteria

Widespread Lateral Gene Transfer from Intracellular Bacteria to

Multicellular Eukaryotes
Wolbachia has integrated parts (in some cases quite large portions) of its
genome into that of numerous strains of Drosophila, the wasp Nasonia, and
the worm Brugia malayi.

Brugia malayi. Nasonia Drosophila

Vertical gene transfer
Horizontal gene transfer
Bacterial conjugation

(a) During conjugation, the pilus pulls two bacteria together.

(b) A bridge (essentially a pore) forms between the two cells.

A single-stranded copy of plasmid DNA is produced in the

donor cell and then passes into the recipient bacterium, where
the single strand, serving as a template, is converted to the
double-stranded helix.
F factor = Fertility factor
F integration

Occasionally, the independent F factor combines with the E. coli

chromosome, creating an Hfr strain.

Hfr = High Frequency of Recombination

F factor or F plasmid

integration of the F plasmid.

Conjugation of Hfr x F- strains

Transfer of single-stranded fragment of donor chromosome and recombination with recipient

chromosome.
The transferred strand is converted into a double helix in the recipient cell, and donor genes may
become incorporated in the recipient’s chromosome through crossovers, creating a recombinant
cell.
Types of DNA transfer in conjugation
Bacterial transformation

free DNA

transformation
Bacterial transformation

Homologous recombination

X X
Transformation
Transformation

Gram +

Gram -
Generalized transduction
Transduction

Specialized transduction

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072556781/student_view0/chapter17/animation_quiz_3.html
Transduction
Processes of gene exchange in bacteria