AGUIRRE, Amanda Grace M.

BMLS 3B
Molecular Biology and Diagnostic (LEC)

SELF DIRECTED LEARNING

 WHAT ARE THE CIRCULAR DNA MOLECULES? EXPLAIN THEIR

OCCURRENCE IN BOTH EUKARYOTES AND PROKARYOTES?

Circular DNA molecules that are of great significance in nature as well as

in numerous biotechnology applications are plasmids, which are widespread
among bacteria. Plasmids are small circular DNA molecules consisting of just a
few genes to more than a hundred. Among the important genes carried in
plasmids are those coding for resistance to a wide range of antibiotics and genes
that allow plasmids to be transferred to other bacteria, even to other species of
bacteria.

Chromosomes are the extended molecules of DNA that carry genes in

both bacteria and eukaryotes. Bacterial chromosomes are usually circular, with
the double helix looping around to make a complete circle. Eukaryotic
chromosomes are linear, with the double helix sealing up at the two distant ends.
In both cases, the result of replication is that one double helix with its two
complementary strands of nucleotides becomes two identical double helices with
the same sequence of nucleotides. In this way, the genetic material of a cell is
passed along unchanged through all the descendants of the original cell (except
for replication errors or other mutations).Prokaryotic cells typically have a
single, circular chromosome located in the nucleoid. Since prokaryotic cells
typically have only a single, circular chromosome, they can replicate faster
than eukaryotic cells.