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Related Concept Videos

Horizontal Gene Transfer01:27

Horizontal Gene Transfer

308
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a process where genetic material moves between organisms within the same generation, unlike vertical gene transfer, which occurs from parent to offspring. HGT plays a crucial role in microbial evolution, adaptation, and survival, particularly in shared environments like the human gut.Mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, prophages, integrons, insertion sequences, and transposons facilitate this process. HGT occurs through three primary mechanisms:...
308
Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms02:18

Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms

29.7K
Genetic transfer occurs when genetic information is passed from one organism to another. It occurs via two mechanisms: vertical gene transfer and horizontal gene transfer. Vertical gene transfer occurs when genetic information is transferred from one generation to the next, which happens much more frequently than horizontal gene transfer. Both sexual and asexual reproduction are forms of vertical gene transfer, where one or more organisms pass some or all of their genome onto their progeny.
29.7K
Transduction01:16

Transduction

267
Among the three main modes of HGT—transformation, conjugation, and transduction—transduction is unique in that it is mediated by bacteriophages, or bacterial viruses.Transduction occurs in two ways. Generalized transduction occurs during the lytic cycle of a bacteriophage infection. In this process, bacteriophages infect bacterial cells, replicate within them, and ultimately cause cell lysis, releasing newly assembled virions. Occasionally, random fragments of the bacterial genome...
267
Mechanism of Conjugation01:19

Mechanism of Conjugation

238
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...
238
Conjugation01:19

Conjugation

1.0K
Conjugation is a form of horizontal gene transfer that primarily occurs in bacteria and some archaea, promoting genetic diversity and adaptation. Bacteria can acquire resistance genes through conjugative plasmids, allowing them to survive antibiotic treatments that would otherwise be lethal. This process involves direct contact between cells through specialized structures such as the sex pilus and is mediated by conjugative plasmids, including the F (fertility) factor.Conjugation requires...
1.0K
Coordination of Gene Expression Processes in Bacteria01:29

Coordination of Gene Expression Processes in Bacteria

222
The DNA replication, transcription, and translation processes are intricately coupled in bacteria, allowing efficient gene expression and rapid protein synthesis. While this physical and functional coordination is advantageous, it introduces challenges that bacteria overcome through specific regulatory mechanisms.Coupling of Replication, Transcription, and TranslationThe coupling of replication, transcription, and translation is a hallmark of bacterial gene expression. As the replisome unwinds...
222

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Methodology for the Study of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Staphylococcus aureus
10:39

Methodology for the Study of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Staphylococcus aureus

Published on: March 10, 2017

16.8K

Bacterial cooperation through horizontal gene transfer.

Isaiah Paolo A Lee1, Omar Tonsi Eldakar2, J Peter Gogarten3

  • 1Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|November 24, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) promotes bacterial cooperation by spreading beneficial genes and eliminating "cheaters." This creates a positive feedback loop, reinforcing cooperation within bacterial populations.

Keywords:
cooperationhorizontal gene transfermobile genetic elementspublic goods

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High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies
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High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

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Methodology for the Study of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Staphylococcus aureus
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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Cooperation is observed across all biological scales, including bacterial populations.
  • Bacteria produce public goods, benefiting all individuals, with associated genes spreading via horizontal gene transfer (HGT).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the interplay between HGT and bacterial cooperation.
  • To investigate how HGT facilitates cooperation and vice versa.
  • To examine HGT as a mechanism for enforcing cooperation.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and synthesis of recent findings on HGT and bacterial cooperation.
  • Conceptual analysis of HGT's role in promoting and enforcing cooperation.

Main Results:

  • HGT, mediated by mobile genetic elements, promotes bacterial cooperation.
  • Bacterial cooperation can, in turn, increase the frequency of HGT.
  • HGT acts as a homogenizing force, transferring cooperative traits and eliminating non-cooperative strains (cheaters).

Conclusions:

  • HGT and bacterial cooperation exist in a positive feedback loop, with HGT enforcing cooperation.
  • HGT is a key mechanism in maintaining cooperation within bacterial populations by ensuring the spread of cooperative traits.