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Related Concept Videos

Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages00:43

Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages

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In contrast to the lytic cycle, phages infecting bacteria via the lysogenic cycle do not immediately kill their host cell. Instead, they combine their genome with the host genome, allowing the bacteria to replicate the phage DNA along with the bacterial genome. The incorporated copy of the phage genome is called the prophage. Some prophages can re-activate and enter the lytic cycle. This often occurs in response to a perturbation, such as DNA damage, but can also transpire in the absence of...
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Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages01:30

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Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are specialized viruses that infect bacteria. A key characteristic of phages is their distinctive “head-tail” morphology. A phage begins the infection process (i.e., lytic cycle) by attaching to the outside of a bacterial cell. Attachment is accomplished via proteins in the phage tail that bind to specific receptor proteins on the outer surface of the bacterium. The tail injects the phage’s DNA genome into the bacterial cytoplasm. In the...
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Genomic DNA in Prokaryotes00:46

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The genome of most prokaryotic organisms consists of double-stranded DNA organized into one circular chromosome in a region of cytoplasm called the nucleoid. The chromosome is tightly wound, or supercoiled, for efficient storage. Prokaryotes also contain other circular pieces of DNA called plasmids. These plasmids are smaller than the chromosome and often carry genes that confer adaptive functions, such as antibiotic resistance.
Genomic Diversity in Bacteria
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DNA-only Transposons02:57

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DNA-only transposons are called autonomous transposons since they code for the enzyme transposase that is required for the transposition mechanism. Insertion of transposons can alter gene functions in multiple ways. They can mutate the gene, alter gene expression by introducing a novel promoter or insulator sequence, introduce new splice sites, and change the mRNA transcripts produced, or remodel chromatin structure.
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CRISPR and crRNAs02:53

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Bacteria and archaea are susceptible to viral infections just like eukaryotes; therefore, they have developed a unique adaptive immune system to protect themselves. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated proteins (CRISPR-Cas) are present in more than 45% of known bacteria and 90% of known archaea.
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Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

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While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 26, 2025

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins
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Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins

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Phage-plasmids: missed links between mobile genetic elements.

Wendy Figueroa1, Daniel Cazares2, Adrian Cazares3

  • 1Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK.

Trends in Microbiology
|May 16, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mobile genetic elements like phages and plasmids can share genes. Hybrid phage-plasmids facilitate gene flow between these elements, enabling bacterial evolution.

Keywords:
evolutionhorizontal gene transfermobile genetic elementsphagesplasmids

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Phages and plasmids are key mobile genetic elements (MGEs) driving bacterial gene dissemination.
  • Gene exchange between phages and plasmids is typically limited.
  • Understanding MGE evolution is crucial for microbial genetics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate recent gene-sharing events between phages and plasmids.
  • To describe the role of hybrid elements in promoting gene flow.
  • To understand the evolutionary pathways of new MGE types.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of recent gene-sharing events.
  • Investigation of hybrid element formation and function.
  • Comparative genomics of mobile genetic elements.

Main Results:

  • Hybrid elements, termed phage-plasmids (P-Ps), were identified.
  • Phage-plasmids facilitate significant gene flow between phage and plasmid MGEs.
  • These hybrid elements contribute to the evolution of novel MGEs.

Conclusions:

  • Phage-plasmids represent a novel mechanism for inter-MGE gene transfer.
  • Hybrid elements expand the scope of genetic exchange in bacteria.
  • The evolution of phage-plasmids impacts bacterial adaptation and diversity.