Featured Parts:Conjugation parts

Revision as of 02:14, 30 March 2006 by Smelissali (Talk | contribs)

Part Type: Conjugation Parts

About Conjugation: Bacterial conjugation is the transfer of genetic material between cells. This behaviour is characterized by the presence of a specialized plasmid (small, circular piece of transferrable DNA most often found within bacteria) known as a "conjugative plasmid" .
The conjugative plasmid holds on it a distinct and specialized set of coding regions including the following

  • OriT (Origin of Transfer): Unlike other plasmids, the conjugative plasmid has its own origin of transfer.
  • TraJ (Transfer genes): The activation of this set of genes on the conjugative plasmid sets off a cascade of protein activation that forces the host cell to start expressing surface proteins that form "mating" characteristics. Such salient characteristics include:
    1. the growth of a pilus (a long whip-like apparatus used for genetic transfer between cells)
    2. formation of "surface exclusion proteins" which prevents the cell containing the conjugative plasmid from mating with other conjugative plasmids of its type (ie. F-type plasmid bearers manufacture surface exclusion proteins that prevent it from mating with other F-type cells although it will mate with cells bearing the R-type plasmid)

References: 1. Frost, Ippen-Ihler, Skurray. Analysis and Sequence of the F Plasmid [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=7915817&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_docsum Pubmed] 2. Wikipedia. "Bacterial Conjugation" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacterial_conjugation Link]