Genetics of bacteria/ Sheela Srivastava

1 Bacteria and Science of Genetics i
1.1 Bacterial Nucleoid 1
1.2 Genetic Nomenclature 5
1.3 Methods of Genetic Analysis 6
1.4 What is a Bacterial Cross? 10
1.5 Genetic Exchange in Bacteria 12
Further Readings 15
2 Gene Mutation: The Basic Mechanism for Generating .
Genetic Variability 17
2.1 What is Mutation? 17
2.2 Why Mutation? 18
2.3 Detection of Mutation 19
2.4 Characterization of Mutation 20
2.5 Biochemical Nature of Mutation 21
2.6 Spontaneous Mutations 23
2.7 Induced Mutations 27
2.8 DNA Damage and Repair Pathway 32
2.9 General Repair Mechanisms 35
2.10 Site-Directed Mutagenesis 42
2.11 Why are Mutations Important? 51
2.12 Reversion and Suppression 54
2.13 Directed Mutation 56
Further Readings 56
3 Conjugation 59
3.1 The Historical Cross 59
3.2 Compatibility 61
3.3 Formation
of Recombinants 63
3.4 High Frequency Recombination Donors 64
3.5 Kinetics of Gene Transfer and Mapping 65
3.6 Generation of Different Hfr Strains 72
3.7 F-Prime Formation 73
3.8 Structure of F Plasmid 74
3.9 Structure of the DNA Transfer Apparatus 79
3.10 Chromosome Transfer and Recombination 81
3.11 Conjugation in Other Gram-Negative Bacteria 83
3.12 Conjugation in Gram-Positive Bacteria 85
3.13 Conjugation in Genetic Analysis gg
Further Readings gg
4 Transformation 91
4.1 Discovery 91
4.2 The Nature of Transforming Principle 92
4.3 Transformation as a Method of Gene Transfer 93
4.4 Natural Transformation 94
4.5 Artificial Transformation 103
4.6 Transformation in Genetic Analysis 105
Further Readings 107
5 Transduction IO9
5.1 Discovery 109
5.2 Vegetative Growth of Phage 109
5.3 Generalized Transduction 110
5.4 Specialized or Re. stricted Transduction 1Ig
5.5 Transduction in Genetic Analysis 122
Further Readings 124
5 Plasmids: Their Biology and Functions 125
6.1 Detection and Nomenclature 125
6.2 Plasmid Organization 127
6.3 Replication 128
6.4
Copy Number Control 129
6.5 Plasmid Stability and Maintenance 135
6.6 Host Range 144
6.7 Plasmid Incompatibility 144
6.8 Plasmid Amplification 145 —
6.9 Plasmid Transfer 145
6.10 F Plasmid: A Prototype Model System 146
6.11 Other Properties 149
Further Readings 150
Transposable Elements 153
7.1 General Considerations 153
7.2 Insertion Sequences (IS) 154
7.3 Transposons 157
7.4 Bacteriophage Mu 158
7.5
Organization 160
7.6 Target Site Duplications (TSD)/Repeats 161
7.7 Influence on Gene Expression 161
7.8 ISl Family 162
7.9 Transposon Tn3 162
7.10 Transposon Tn5 163
Contents
Contents xiii
7.11 Transposon TnlO 164
7.12 Transposon Tn7 164
7.13 Bacteriophage Mu 166
7.14 Delivery of Transposable Elements 166
7.15 Mechanisms of Transposition 167
7.16 Regulation of Transposition 171
7.17 Transposition Immunity 173
7.18 Target Site Selection 174
7.19 Conjugative Transposons 175
7.20 Integrons 177
7.21 Transposable Elements as Genetic Tools 180
7.22 Transposable Elements and their Impact on the Host... 182
Further Readings 183
Additional Reading 185