Check-in Activity:

Briefly discuss the following questions in 3 to 5 sentences.

1. What is horizontal gene transfer? What are the three mechanisms for this to
occur in bacteria?
- Horizontal gene transfer is the movement of genetic information between
organisms, a process that includes the spread of antibiotic resistance
genes among bacteria (except for those from parent to offspring), fueling
pathogen evolution. HGT occurs via three well-known genetic
mechanisms, which are: transformation, transduction, and conjugation.
2. What are the components needed for the processes of transformation,
conjugation, and transduction? How does each process occur? What genes
are involved in each process?
- Bacteria use transformation mechanisms to acquire DNA from their
surroundings. And transduction bacteriophages move genes from one cell
to another. Conjugation occurs when bacteria directly transfer genes to
another cell. Genes are involved in each process, such as plasmids
(extrachromosomal genetic material), transposons ("jumping genes"), and
bacteria-infecting viruses (bacteriophages).
3. How do generalized and specialized transduction differ? What is the end
result of each?
- In generalized transduction, a bacterial host cell is infected with either a
virulent or a temperate bacteriophage, engaging in the lytic cycle of
replication. During this stage, random pieces of bacterial DNA are
mistakenly packaged into a phage head, resulting in the production of a
transducing particle. While specialized transduction can only occur with
temperate bacteriophages since it involves the lysogenic cycle of
replication, the bacteriophage randomly attaches to a bacterial host cell,
injecting viral DNA inside. The DNA integrates into the chromosome of the
host cell, forming a prophage.
4. What is recombination? What is the importance to bacteria & archaea?
- The recombination process helps to create variations in the gene. Due to
this, bacterial recombination enables bacteria to build resistance to
antibiotics. It also helps to develop resistance to other factors that might
be detrimental to the bacterial cell.
5. What are the two types of recombination? What are the details of each type?
What components are needed for each type?
- The two types of recombination are homologous recombination and
site-specific recombination. Homologous recombination involves the RecA
protein, which is the process of DNA from two sources being paired based
on similar nucleotide sequences in one area. An endonuclease nicks one
strand, allowing RecA to pair up bases from different strands, a process
known as "strand invasion." The cross-over between DNA molecules is
resolved with resolvase, which cuts and rejoins the DNA into two separate
dsDNA molecules. Site-specific recombination is a process often used by
viruses to insert their genome into the chromosome of their host.