Acquisition of Genetic Information by Bacteria
Bacteria lack the capability of sexual reproduction within their life cycle but are quite active in exchanging genetic information. The DNA carries genetic information; in the form of a small piece of chromosome and transmits it from one cell to the next (Shahi, 2017). Genetic information is transferred in different ways, and we shall look at each one and what intricacies they all entail.
Transformation occurs when bacterial cells are in a competent state and take up free fragments of DNA that are freely floating within the medium (Eswayah, 2017). This qualified state is governed by the ability shown by the bacteria to bind the fragments of the DNA and is limited to only a specific number of bacteria, including; Streptococcus and Haemophilus, among others. Others, such as the E. coli, can be artificially made competent through exposure to calcium chloride (CaCl2 ) within a laboratory (Nowak, 2016). The process of transformation is integral in the recombinant DNA technology since it allows a second organism to acquire fragments from a different organism to gain a set of new characteristics.
Transduction allows for the transfer of DNA through the use of a bacteria-infecting virus known as bacteriophage (Nowak, 2016). It is an efficient method owing to the fact that the DNA is guarded against attacks from enzymes and decay by the bacteriophage and is injected directly into the receiving cells. Conjugation is a one-directional process that involves the transfer of DNA through the direct cell to cell contact that is mediated by specific non-chromosomal DNA molecules known as plasmids. Lysogenic conversion involves the transferring of particular genes that possess certain functions to bacterial cells that do not have the said functions. It is an important notion within the distribution and control of infectious diseases.
REFERENCES
Eswayah, A. S., Smith, T. J., Scheinost, A. C., Hondow, N., Gardiner, P. H., & E. (2017). Microbial transformations of selenite by methane-oxidizing bacteria. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 101(17), 6713-6724. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8380-8
Nowak, A., & Mrozik, A. (2016). Facilitation of co-metabolic transformation and degradation of monochlorophenols by pseudomonas sp. CF600 and changes in its fatty acid composition. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 227(3), 1-13. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11270-016-2775-5
Shahi, A., Ince, B., Aydin, S., & Ince, O. (2017). Assessment of the horizontal transfer of functional genes as a suitable approach for evaluation of the bioremediation potential of petroleum-contaminated sites: A mini-review. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 101(11), 4341-4348. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8306-5