BACTERIAL

GENETICS

LEARNING OUTCOMES
The students will be able to
State

sources of DNA/genetic information in a

bacterial cell.
Describe mechanisms by which DNA is transferred
between bacteria.
Describe mechanisms by which DNA is transferred
within bacterial cells.
Outline the application of bacterial genetics.

INTRODUCTION
Gene

: a segment of DNA

Genome

: totality of genetic materials

Genetics

: anlyses heredity structural and

physiological functions that form the properties
of organisms

Genotypes

vs. phenotypes

The Bacterial Genome

single, circular, ds DNA (chromosome)
Most studied chromosome Escherichia coli

1300 m long about 1 mm (4000 kbp)

can code for about 2000 proteins
Bacteria are haploid: one set of chromosome
(human cells are diploid)

 Chromosome governs all biochemical

activities of the organism by directing synthesis

of proteins (enzymes and structural proteins)

All properties of a bacterial cell including

virulence and antibiotic resistance are

determined by the genome

DNA STRUCTURE: James Watson & Francis

Crick

Replication of DNA

 semiconservative

parental strands

unwind
serve as a template
New strands
synthesized
Replication direction
bi-directional, always
5 to 3

Sources of genetic
information in
bacterial cell
1. Bacterial chromosome
2. Plasmids
3. Bacteriophages
4. Transposons

Mutation
Any permanent change in the sequence of bases of DNA,
irrespective of a detectable change in the cell phenotype
may occur
spontaneously
induced by mutagen
Irradiation
- X-rays
- UV light

chemicals
- 5- bromouracil, nitrous acid
- 2- aminopurine
- benzpyrene (tobacco smoke)

Types of mutation
1. Multi-site mutations - extensive
2. Point mutation - affect one or few nucleotides
- substitution, deletion, insertion

Change in genome
of a bacterial cell

mutation in own DNA

acquisition of additional DNA

GENE
TRANSFER
Refers
the movement of genetic informationbetween organisms
Vertical gene transfer passes genes from parent to
offspring
Lateral gene transfer passes genes to other cells in the
same generation.
Gene transfer is significant because it increases genetic
diversity within a population, thereby increasing the
likelihood that some members of the population will
survive environmental changes

DNA/GENE TRANSFER BETWEEN

BACTERIAL CELLS
1.
2.
3.

Conjugation
Transduction
Transformation

1. CONJUGATION
Donor/male cell makes contact with a Recipient/
female cell ----- DNA is transferred directly via
the sex pilus
Plasmids transferred during conjugation
- Transfer factors / sex factors
- Fertility factor
- Resistance (R) plasmids

PLASMIDS
Characteristics of Plasmids

circular, self-replicating, ds extra-chromosomal

DNA that carry information that is usually not
essential for cell growth
Resistance Plasmids

Resistance (R) plasmids carry genetic information

that confers resistance to various antibiotics. They
generally consist of a resistance transfer factor
(RTF) and one or more Resistance (R) genes

Conjugative plasmids

Conjugative plasmids are those that mediated

conjugation. These plasmids are usually large and
have all the genes necessary for autonomous
replication and for transfer of DNA to a recipient
(e.g. genes for sex pilus, tra gene)
Non-conjugative plasmids

Non-conjugative plasmids are those that cannot

mediate conjugation. They are usually smaller
than conjugative plasmids and they lack one or
more of the genes needed for transfer of DNA.

Plasmid mediated
conjugation

Hfr conjugation

HFr

2. Transduction : Phage
mediated
Process where transfer of genetic material from one

bacteria to another bacteria by means of a

bacteriophage without any cell to cell contact
Bacteriophage virus that infects the bacteria
/replicates within the bacterial cell
2 types of phage:
Virulent and Temperate

Bacteriopha
ge

Template Phage

Virulent phage (lytic

(Lysogenic cycle)

cycle)

Infect the cells

Infect the cells

Phage DNA integrate

Replicates
into chromosomal DNA intracellularly
Remains silent,
replicates as part of
host chromosome

Lyse and kill the host

cell
Release of new phage
particles

 Generalized

transduction : random host-cell DNA

is carried by the phage.

Specialized

transduction : transfer only genes

(specific genes and gene sequences) adjacent to the
phage

Some

bacteria, when infected by a specialized

transducing phage, become pathogenic, since the
genes for virulence (ability to cause disease) are
carried by the phage. This process is called
lysogenic conversion

Examples

: DT, botulinum toxin, cholera toxin,

erythrogenic toxin transferred by transduction

3. Transformation
occurs by cellular uptake of naked DNA
fragments
most bacteria unable to take exogenous DNA.
Pneumococci, Haemophilus influenzae, certain
Bacillus spp. ---- take up DNA (artificially or
released by lysis from another strain)
---- DNA entry ---- incorporation into existing
chromosome of the cell by recombination.

DNA TRANSFER WITHIN BACTERIAL CELLS

1.
2.
3.

Transposons
Programmed rearrangements
Transposons
- mobile DNA sequences that can move from
plasmid to plasmid and/or from plasmids to
chromosomal or bacteriophage DNA
- can code for drug resistance enzymes, toxins or
a variety of metabolic enzymes
- can either cause mutations in the gene into
which they insert or alter the expression of
nearby genes.

2. Programmed rearrangements
consists of movement of a gene from a silent

storage site (where the gene is not expressed) to

an active site (where transcription and translation
occurred)
Eg. Consistent antigenic variation as seen in
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Borrelia recurrentis,
trypanosomes

 Recombination

Once DNA is transferred from the donor to

the recipient cell by one of the processes
described above, it can integrate into the host cell
chromosome by recombination.

Application

Importance of Microbial
Genetics
1.

Antibiotic resistance transferred between

bacteria by plasmids / and transposons

2. Virulence factors

gene for enterotoxin production in Escherichia

coli and Staph aureus
3.

Genetic diversity and Bacterial variation

4. Gene probes for diagnostic tests

- unique DNA sequence in a microorganism
identified, isolated and labelled for use as a probe
in hybridization reactions
- used to recognize pathogen-specific DNA
released from clinical samples

5. Recombinant DNA technology (Genetic

Engineering)
- genes for insulin, IFNs, growth hormones and
vaccine antigens inserted into bacteria or yeast
genomes for production of large quantities of the
gene product

6. Vaccines
- Eg. Hepatitis B recombinant vaccine (HBs Ag gene
inserted into genome of yeast)

REFERENCES

Brooks, G.F., Carroll, K.C., Butel, J.S., Morse, S.A. and

Meitzner, T.A. (2013). Jawetz, Melnick and Adelberg's
medical microbiology. (26th ed.).United States of
America: The McGrew Hill Companies.
1.

Levinson, W. (2014). Review of medical microbiology

and immunology. (13th ed.). United States of America:
The McGrew Hill Companies.
2.

Harvey AH, Cornelissen CN and Fisher BD. (2013)

Microbiology, Lippincott Illustrated Reviews . (3ed ed.).
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

3.

7/10/16