NATURAL MECHANISMS

FOR GENE TRANSFER AND

REARANGEMENT
Some alterations in bacteria can be explained by:
Gene transfer from one organism to another
Large rearrangements in chromosomal DNA
Gene Transfer and Recombination
The Two Types of Gene Transfer
Gene Transfer and Recombination
Genetic Recombination:
It is a process that
brings genetic elements
from two different genomes
into one unit
Genetic Recombination in Eucaryotic Cells
Crossing over (or Chromosomal Crossover) : involves
recombination between the paired chromosomes inherited
from each of one's parents, generally occurring during meiosis.

Prophase I (pachytene stage) of

meiosis in sex cell production
Genetic Recombination in Procaryotic Cells
Genetic recombination in procaryotes is a rare event
Bacterial recombination is accomplished by the three main
mechanisms of gene transfer: conjugation, transformation, or
transduction.
Transformation
Transformation is the uptake of DNA fragments (originates
from one bacterial cell) from the surroundings by a bacterial
cell.
Bacterial transformation was first described by Fred Griffith in
1928:
- work on Streptococcus pneumonia, a bacterium that causes
human pneumonia and that can also kill mice
- he called it the transforming principle.
Transformation
When a bacterial cell ruptures or undergo lysis, the
fragmented bacterial genome may be release into the
environment or medium
Competent (transformable) bacterial cells can take up these
fragments and later gets integrated into its genome.
Competence is the ability of a cell to incorporate naked DNA
from the surroundings.
Transformation
TRANSDUCTION: Virus Mediated Gene Transfer

In this process, DNA is passed from one bacterium to

another in a bacteriophage and is then incorporated into the
recipients DNA.
The carrier phage is the transducer or vector.
Two Types:
Generalized transduction
Specialized transduction
Generalized Transduction:
- A portion of the donor
bacterial DNA accidently gets
enclosed in a capsid.
Generalized Transduction:
- Upon lysis and further infection of
this virus particle to another
bacterium, the genetic material of the
donor is released and recombination
occurs between the injected DNA
segments and homologous part of the
recipient chromosome, forming a
rDNA
Specialized Transduction
Specialized transduction: mediated by lysogenic phages.
Lysogenic cell: one carrying a prophage or phage DNA
incorporated into chromosomal DNA
Here phage DNA gets integrated with the bacterial
chromosome; the viral genome integrated into the bacterial
genome is called prophage.
Lysogenic phages like lambda phages are widely used as
vectors in rDNA technology.
Specialized transduction
CONJUGATION
Conjugation is the unidirectional transfer
of genetic material from a donor cell to a
recipient by cell to cell contact or through
conjugation tube (sex pili)
The bacterium with F factors (Fertility
factor) or plasmid is the donor, F+ or male;
produce sex pili that bring the cells into
contact (gram-positive cells)
The bacterium without F factor is the F-
strain or recipient; produce surface
molecules that interact to form a "mating
bridge (gram-negative cells)
CONJUGATION
Episome: a DNA molecule that may exist either integrated
into the chromosome or separate from it; can be considered as
a plasmid
Examples of Episomes include:
Insertion sequence and transposons
Viruses
F factor
Case I: Conjugation between F + and F- cell
Case II: Conjugation between Hfr cell and F- cell
If the plasmid becomes incorporated into the chromosome, the cell is
called an Hfr (high frequency recombinant).
 Case II: Conjugation between Hfr cell and F- cell
Hfr DNA of donor undergoes
replication by rolling circle
mechanism.
Circular Hfr DNA breaks open
and becomes linear.
During this transfer,
conjugation tube abruptly
breaks up, so that only a part
of the Hfr DNA is transferred
to the recipient.
TRANSPOSONS: Internal Gene Transfer
Transposons refers to a gene or genes that have the ability to jump
from one piece of DNA to another, or to another position on the
original piece of DNA.
- differ from insertion sequences in that they code for proteins
- importance:
(1) can induce mutations
(2) can bring once-separate genes together
(3) can mediate the movement of genes b/w unrelated bacteria