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Related Concept Videos

Plasmids01:28

Plasmids

Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules found in bacteria, archaea, and some eukaryotic microbes like yeast. These small, circular DNA structures typically contain fewer than 30 genes, although some may exist linearly. Plasmids vary in their number within a cell, known as copy number. Single-copy plasmids are present in one copy per cell and multi-copy plasmids are present in multiple copies, reaching over 100 copies per cell.Plasmids usually replicate independently of the chromosomal DNA...
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation02:53

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
Position-effect Variegation02:32

Position-effect Variegation

In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.
Law of Segregation01:49

Law of Segregation

When crossing pea plants, Mendel noticed that one of the parental traits would sometimes disappear in the first generation of offspring, called the F1 generation, and could reappear in the next generation (F2). He concluded that one of the traits must be dominant over the other, thereby causing masking of one trait in the F1 generation. When he crossed the F1 plants, he found that 75% of the offspring in the F2 generation had the dominant phenotype, while 25% had the recessive phenotype.
Nucleoid01:24

Nucleoid

The nucleoid represents a structurally and functionally distinct region within prokaryotic cells, where the cell's DNA and associated proteins are housed. Unlike eukaryotic cells, prokaryotes lack a membrane-bound nucleus, and the nucleoid facilitates the organization and accessibility of the genetic material within this constraint. The DNA in most bacteria and archaea exists as a single, circular, double-stranded molecule that is highly compacted through supercoiling and interactions with...
Mechanism of Conjugation01:19

Mechanism of Conjugation

Bacterial conjugation is a mechanism of horizontal gene transfer that enables the exchange of genetic material between bacterial cells through direct contact. This process is facilitated by a donor cell carrying a conjugative plasmid, which encodes genes necessary for pilus formation, DNA replication, and transfer. The conjugative plasmid plays a central role in initiating and executing the transfer of genetic material.The tra region of the conjugative plasmid encodes proteins responsible for...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations
07:40

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Published on: October 29, 2016

Plasmid segregation: spatial awareness at the molecular level.

Jakob Møller-Jensen1, Kenn Gerdes

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark. jakobm@bmb.sdu.dk

The Journal of Cell Biology
|November 28, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Bacterial low-copy plasmids use partition (par) systems for stable inheritance. This study reveals the Escherichia coli plasmid R1 par system

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Low-copy number plasmids require active mechanisms for stable inheritance during bacterial cell division.
  • Partition (par) loci are essential genetic elements ensuring accurate segregation of plasmid molecules.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional mechanism of the partition system in the Escherichia coli plasmid R1.
  • To provide novel insights into the dynamics of plasmid segregation using advanced microscopy.

Main Methods:

  • Time-lapse fluorescence microscopy was employed to track individual segregating plasmid molecules.
  • Detailed observation of plasmid segregation events within live bacterial cells.

Main Results:

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Plasmid Stability Analysis with Open-Source Droplet Microfluidics
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Plasmid Stability Analysis with Open-Source Droplet Microfluidics

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Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach
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Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Published on: December 14, 2019

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Last Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations
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Published on: October 29, 2016

Plasmid Stability Analysis with Open-Source Droplet Microfluidics
07:43

Plasmid Stability Analysis with Open-Source Droplet Microfluidics

Published on: December 27, 2024

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach
12:32

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Published on: December 14, 2019

  • The study visualized the dynamic process of plasmid R1 segregation mediated by its par system.
  • The plasmid partition spindle exhibits functional similarities to eukaryotic mitotic machinery, despite its bacterial origin.

    • Conclusions:

    • The partition system of E. coli plasmid R1 actively ensures stable plasmid inheritance.
    • The findings highlight conserved principles in chromosome and plasmid segregation across different life domains.