HOW WE GET

DIVERSITY IN BACTERIA
Chapter 18.3

Outline
Things that happen in all domains of living things
Horizontal gene transfer
Transformation
Transduction
Conjugation
Transposition

Production of diversity in all living things

Mutations are the primary source of genetic variation.

They come from two sources:

1. Environmental factors can cause mutations.
Radiation
Reactive chemicals
2. DNA replication is imperfect.
DNA polymerases normally repair errors, but some
are missed.
Genetic recombination in sexual reproduction
Rearranges existing alleles during meiosis
Meiosis doesnt happen in bacteria, but something else
does

Horizontal Gene Transfer in Bacteria

No meiosis and fertilization in prokaryotes. Other

processes bring together bacterial DNA from different

cells.
1. Transformation
2. Transduction
3. Conjugation
4. Transposition

Horizontal Gene Transfer in Bacteria

Transformation
Alteration of a bacterial cells genotype and phenotype

by the uptake of foreign DNA from the surrounding

environment.
Example: Griffiths Transduction Experiment
Harmless rough-strain S. pneumoniae can take up

pieces of DNA from the pathogenic smooth-strain S.

pneumoniae.
Foreign allele is incorporated into the chromosome of
the harmless cell, resulting in a cell that now is
pathogenic!

Horizontal Gene Transfer in Bacteria

Transformation
Alteration of a bacterial cells genotype and phenotype

by the uptake of foreign DNA from the surrounding

environment.
Example: Griffiths Transduction Experiment
Harmless rough-strain S. pneumoniae can take up

pieces of DNA from the pathogenic smooth-strain S.

pneumoniae.
Foreign allele is incorporated into the chromosome of
the harmless cell, resulting in a cell that now is
pathogenic!

Horizontal Gene Transfer in Bacteria

Transduction
Phages carry bacterial genes from one host cell to another.
Happens when the host DNA is accidentally packaged inside of
a bacterial capsid instead of the viral genetic material.

Horizontal Gene Transfer in Bacteria

Horizontal Gene Transfer in Bacteria

Conjugation
Often referred to as bacterial sex.
Direct transfer of genetic material between two

bacterial cells that are temporarily join through a sex

pilus.
Plasmids (circular pieces of DNA) can travel across
sex pili.
R plasmid: a plasmid that contains a gene that confers

antibiotic resistance.

Horizontal Gene Transfer in Bacteria

Horizontal Gene Transfer in Bacteria

Transposition
DNA of a single cell can undergo recombination due

to transposable elements.
Transposable elements are part of a chromosomal or
plasmid DNA and move from one place to another in a
cells DNA.
Transposable elements are also known as jumping
genes.
Transposons: transposable elements with more
complicated gene sequences, like genes for antibiotic
resistance.

Horizontal Gene Transfer in Bacteria

Transposase
gene enables
the sequence to
move within the
genome.