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Related Concept Videos

Bacterial Transformation01:33

Bacterial Transformation

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In 1928, bacteriologist Frederick Griffith worked on a vaccine for pneumonia, which is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Griffith studied two pneumonia strains in mice: one pathogenic and one non-pathogenic. Only the pathogenic strain killed host mice.
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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...
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The lysogenic cycle is a crucial viral replication strategy that allows bacteriophages to persist within host cells without immediately destroying them. This process is primarily observed in temperate phages, such as bacteriophage lambda (λ), which infects Escherichia coli. The cycle allows the viral genome to persist across bacterial generations while keeping host cells viable.Integration of the Viral GenomeUpon infection, bacteriophage lambda attaches to the bacterial surface and injects...
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Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria, utilizing their genetic material to hijack host cellular machinery for replication. DNA bacteriophages employ single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes. These phages exhibit diverse replication strategies and host interactions, influencing their ecological roles and applications in biotechnology and medicine.ssDNA BacteriophagesssDNA phages, with their small genomes, utilize unique strategies to...
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Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages00:43

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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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Microbial communities are dynamic environments where cell lysis releases free DNA into the surroundings. Other cells can take up this extracellular DNA through a process known as transformation.When a cell incorporates this foreign DNA into its genome, resulting in genetic modification, the process is known as transformation. Cells capable of this process are termed competent. Competence can be natural, as observed in certain bacteria and archaea, or artificially induced in the...
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Chromosomal Curing Drives an Arms Race Between Bacterial Transformation and Prophage.

Min Jung Kwun1, Alexandru V Ion1, Katinka J Apagyi1

  • 1MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sir Michael Uren Hub, Imperial College London, 86 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK.

Molecular Biology and Evolution
|November 21, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Bacteria can delete mobile genetic elements (MGEs) using homologous recombination (HR) during transformation. However, some MGEs evade deletion by activating specific lifecycles, showcasing an evolutionary arms race with bacterial competence machinery.

Keywords:
bacterial evolutionevolutionary arms racemobile genetic elementprophagerecombinationtransformation

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacterial Genetics
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Bacterial transformation allows uptake and integration of exogenous DNA via homologous recombination (HR).
  • This process can lead to "chromosomal curing," the deletion of integrative mobile genetic elements (MGEs).
  • Many MGEs possess mechanisms to evade HR-mediated deletion, potentially by interacting with RecA-DNA filaments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how prophages, a type of MGE, evade deletion by homologous recombination during bacterial transformation.
  • To understand the role of different prophage regulatory systems (C1-type and ImmAR-type) in this evasion process.
  • To explore the evolutionary interplay between prophages and the bacterial competence machinery.

Main Methods:

  • Studied three representative prophages in naturally competent *Streptococcus pneumoniae*.
  • Assessed prophage deletion rates via homologous recombination.
  • Investigated prophage responses to RecA-DNA filaments and the competence repressor DprA.
  • Analyzed the impact of mutations affecting prophage regulation on deletion rates and transformation efficiency.

Main Results:

  • All three tested prophages were efficiently deleted by homologous recombination, similar to base substitution rates.
  • A C1-regulated prophage, when mutated, showed increased deletion, indicating activation by RecA-DNA filaments during transformation.
  • ImmAR-regulated prophages excised as deletion-resistant pseudolysogens in response to transient stimuli.
  • One prophage constitutively increased DprA levels, inhibiting competence induction and thus transformation.

Conclusions:

  • Prophages have evolved diverse strategies to evade deletion by homologous recombination during bacterial transformation.
  • An evolutionary arms race exists between prophages and bacterial competence machinery, influencing bacterial diversification.
  • Mobile genetic elements can impede homologous recombination, preventing their own elimination from the bacterial chromosome.