Chapter 18 Blog: Genetics of Viruses and Bacteria


     Chapter 18 talks about the genetic properties of viruses, viroids and prions, genetic properties of bacteria, and gene transfer between bacteria.  Section 1 covers the genetic properties of viruses.  The viral reproductive cycle consists of five pr six basic steps, including attachment, entry, integration, synthesis, assembly, and release.  

Section 2 cover viruses and prions.  Viroids are RNA molecules that infect plant cells and prions are proteins that exist in an abnormal conformation that can cause disease.  Section 3 covers the genetic properties of bacteria.  Bacteria contains a single type of circular chromosome found in the nucleoid region and the chromosome contais many genes and one origin of replication.  Plasmids are small, circular DNA molecules that exist outside of the bacterial chromosome.  Last bacteria cells reproduce my a process called binary fission, during which a cell divides to form two daughter cells.  The last chapter covers gene transfer between bacteria.  The three common methods of gene transfer are conjugation, transformation, and transduction.  Transformation is the process by which a portion of DNA is taken up form the environment by a competent cell. 

 

Conjugation always two bacteria to exchange DNA.  This video is very inappropriate. 

 

A SUPER brief video that covers what transformation is between two bacteria cells.

 

Complete sequencing of the FII plasmid pHK01, encoding CTX-M-14, and molecular analysis of its variants among Escherichia coli from Hong Kong.

Bacteria died and another bacterial cell took up the DNA form the surrounding.