[Construction of the bacterial genome--the next goal of genetic engineering]

The article deals primarily with literature data on the organization and evolution of bacterial genome. An account of the conception of "current" bacterial evolution consisting of periodical inclusions into a bacterial genome of genes having exogenous origin is given. A hypothesis is proposed that rare inversions going through the oriC or terC chromosomal regions could serve as reparative rearrangements providing balanced distribution of the DNA segments of different origin within the circular genome. It is asserted that the progress in the study of the model microorganism Escherichia coli K-12 as well as in genetical methods give rise to a new experimental challenge--the creation of a "rational" bacterial genome on the basis of E. coli cell. It is proposed that a "rational" bacterial genome could be devoid of many genes which provide the evolutionary formed ecological potential of the species and its capacity for rapid adaptation to new environment.