MIC 503

Bacterial Genetics-An Introduction

 Lecture Synopsis of MIC-503 (Bacterial genetics)

1. An introduction to the bacterial genetics.

2. DNA Structure and function: a. DNA as a genetic material b. Hershey and chase experiment
c. Methods to study nucleic acid: i. Ultracentrifugation ii. CsCl-EtBr density gradient centrifugation iii.
Southern Blotting analysis iv. Determination of Tm for the DNA
3. DNA replication: i. Origin replication ii. Events of formation of replication forks

4. Gene structure and its expression i. Transcription and its termination

ii. Lac operon iii. Trp operon
5. Protein
synthesis
6. Genetic recombination:
i. Crossing over ii. Holliday model iii. Single and double strand break cross over.
 Lecture Synopsis of MIC-503 (Bacterial genetics) contd…

7. Detailed study of gene transfer mechanisms in bacteria:

i. Transformation
ii. Transduction
iii. Conjugation

8. Gene maps and mapping.

9. Mutation and DNA mutagenesis.
10. DNA repair mechanisms: an introduction.
11. An introduction to genetic rearrangements.
12. An introduction to genetic engineering.
 Genetics
• A branch of biology that deals with the heredity and variation of
organisms

• The genetic makeup and phenomena of an organism, type, group, or

condition

• The scientific study of how genes control the characteristics of plants

and animals
 Genes
• Sequence of nucleotides??

• ATGGGCATG ???

• ATG-TGG-CAA = Met-Thr-Val
 Genes
• A distinct sequence of nucleotides forming part of a chromosome,
the order of which determines the order of monomers in a
polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule which a cell (or virus) may
synthesize.

• A specific sequence of nucleotides in DNA or RNA that is located

usually on a chromosome and that is the functional unit of
inheritance controlling the transmission and expression of one or
more traits by specifying the structure of a particular polypeptide and
especially a protein or controlling the function of
other genetic material
 Why Bacterial Genetics?
• Haploid

• Million of cells can easily be obtained

• Rapid growth rate

• Easy to cultivate
 Ploidy
• Degree of repetition of the basic number of chromosomes

• Haploid

• Diploid

• Polyploid
 Locus
• The position in a chromosome of a particular gene or allele
 Allele
• Any of the alternative forms of a gene that may occur at a given locus
 Mendel’s Law: In a glimpse
• The principle of segregation (First Law): The two members of a gene
pair (alleles) segregate (separate) from each other in the formation of
gametes. Half the gametes carry one allele, and the other half carry
the other allele.

• The principle of independent assortment (Second Law): Genes for

different traits assort independently of one another in the formation
of gametes.