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    Plasmids

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    namita
    Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules found in bacteria that can replicate independently of the bacterial chromosome. They vary in size but are usually 1,000-25,000 base pairs. Plasmids provide genetic advantages to bacteria like antibiotic resistance. They can be transferred between bacteria through transformation, transduction, or conjugation. There are several classes of plasmids including F-plasmids for conjugation, R-plasmids for antibiotic resistance, and virulence plasmids that make bacteria pathogenic. Plasmids are important tools in biotechnology and genetic engineering for cloning genes and producing recombinant proteins.

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    Plasmids

    Uploaded by

    namita
    37 views21 pages
    Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules found in bacteria that can replicate independently of the bacterial chromosome. They vary in size but are usually 1,000-25,000 base pairs. Plasmids provide genetic advantages to bacteria like antibiotic resistance. They can be transferred between bacteria through transformation, transduction, or conjugation. There are several classes of plasmids including F-plasmids for conjugation, R-plasmids for antibiotic resistance, and virulence plasmids that make bacteria pathogenic. Plasmids are important tools in biotechnology and genetic engineering for cloning genes and producing recombinant proteins.

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    Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules found in bacteria that can replicate independently of the bacterial chromosome. They vary in size but are usually 1,000-25,000 base pairs. Plasmids provide genetic advantages to bacteria like antibiotic resistance. They can be transferred between bacteria through transformation, transduction, or conjugation. There are several classes of plasmids including F-plasmids for conjugation, R-plasmids for antibiotic resistance, and virulence plasmids that make bacteria pathogenic. Plasmids are important tools in biotechnology and genetic engineering for cloning genes and producing recombinant proteins.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    37 views21 pages

    Plasmids

    Uploaded by

    namita
    Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules found in bacteria that can replicate independently of the bacterial chromosome. They vary in size but are usually 1,000-25,000 base pairs. Plasmids provide genetic advantages to bacteria like antibiotic resistance. They can be transferred between bacteria through transformation, transduction, or conjugation. There are several classes of plasmids including F-plasmids for conjugation, R-plasmids for antibiotic resistance, and virulence plasmids that make bacteria pathogenic. Plasmids are important tools in biotechnology and genetic engineering for cloning genes and producing recombinant proteins.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 21

    Plasmids, types and applications

    Dr. Namita Ashish Singh


    Assistant Professor
    Department of Microbiology,
    MLSU Udaipur
    Plasmid
    Plasmid is an extra chromosomal DNA molecule which
    •is capable of replicating independently from the
    chromosomal DNA.
    • They are found in numbers ranging from one per cell to
    hundreds per cell (this is called "copy number").
    INTRODUCTION
    • Discovered by Laderberg in 1952.
    • It naturally occur in bacteria, however sometimes present in
    archaea and eukaryotes.
    • Plasmids vary in size, but most are between 1,000 to 25,000
    base pairs.
    • The genes carried in plasmid benefit the survival of the organism
    by providing them with genetic advantages like antibiotic
    resistance etc. under certain situation or conditions.
    • They provide mechanism for horizontal gene transfer within a
    population of microbes
    PROPERTIES
    • Specific to one or a few particular bacteria.
    • Replicate independently and code for their own transfer.
    • Do not cause damage to cells and generally are beneficial
    • Size ranges from 1 kbp to several mbp.
    • Number of plasmids in an individual cell may vary, ranging
    from one to several hundreds, denoted by copy number.
    • Some produces virulence factor that help in defence or
    nutrient utilization.
    • Plasmids can also provide bacteria with the ability to fix
    nitrogen.
    • Some also exhibits properties like sulphur utilization,
    hydrocarbon degradation, drug resistance etc.
    MODE OF PLASMID TRANSFER

    The genetic information encoded in a plasmid of


    bacteria is transferred across a broad range of
    microorganism via-

    1. Transformation: requires competent cells which are ready to accept


    extracellular plasmid and further stable replication inside host cell.

    2. Transduction: plasmid mediated gene transfer through bacteriophages.(can be


    generalised or specialised)

    3.Conjugation: transfer through cell to cell contact of donor and recipient cell,
    requires DNA metabolism of donor cell.
    Types of plasmids

    There are five main classes :

    1 Fertility- F-plasmids
    c) They are capable of conjugation (transfer of genetic
    material between bacteria) and result in the
    expression of sex pilli.
    Example: F plasmid of E. coli.
    Hfr strain contain F factor integrated with their chromosome
    It occurs with high frequency but connection between cells usually breaks before
    the process is completed, so F- remains F-
    F’ and F- Conjugation
    2 Resistance- R-plasmids which contain genes that can build a resistance
    against antibiotics or heavy–metal. Historically known as R factors, before the
    nature of plasmids was understood.
    e. g., pRP4 of Pseudomonas sp.

    3 Col-plasmids
    which contain genes that code for bacteriocins, that can kill other
    bacteria. e. g., ColE1

    4 Degradative plasmids They are able to digest unusual substances like toluene
    and salicylic acid. e.g.,TOL plasmid of Pseudomonas putida.

    5 Virulence plasmids
    which turn the bacterium into a pathogen. contains vir genes which turn the
    bacterium into a pathogen.
    e. g., Ti & Ri plasmids
    Plasmid Exchange

    • Bacteria can exchange or transfer plasmid between


    other bacteria in three different ways.

    • In every case the source cells of the plasmid are called


    the
    –DONORS-

    and the cells that receive the plasmid are called the
    –-RECIPIENTS-
    The three forms of bacterial DNA exchange
    are :

    1) CONJUGATION
    This process involves one bacterium making a copy of a
    plasmid, and transferring that copy to another bacterium.
    2) TRANSFORMATION
    This is the process in which a recipient cell takes up plasmid
    DNA from the environment (such as DNA released from a dead
    organism.

    It is the one of the method of bacterial recombination


    Discovered by Fred Griffith in 1928

    Competency is complex phenomenon and dependent on several


    conditions

    Transformation frequency of competent cells is around 10-3

    Gene transfer by this method occurs in soil and aquatic


    environment
    Transformation

    Crossing
    over

    Insertion
    Transduction

    It is a process in which DNA fragment is transferred from one bacterium to another by a bacteriophage

    Discovered by Joshua Lederberg and Zinder in 1952

    Transduction is of two types:


    1) Generalized transduction: A DNA fragment is transferred from one bacterium to another by a lytic bacteriophage that is now carrying donor bacterial DNA due to an error in

    maturation during the lytic life cycle.



    2) Specialized transduction: A DNA fragment is transferred from one bacterium to another by a temperate bacteriophage that is now carrying donor bacterial DNA due to an error

    in spontaneous induction during the lysogenic life cycle


    Transduction:
    Generalized
    Infection Destruction of
    the bacteria’s
    DNA

    Replication of
    the viral
    genome
    Production of
    viral parts
    Lysis Packaging
    Conformations of plasmids

    Plasmid DNA may appear


    in different conformations,
    like, coiled, Supercoiled,
    circular and linear, which
    (for a given size) run at
    different speeds in a gel
    during electrophoresis:

    Supercoiled
    Applications of plasmids
    • Plasmids are extremely valuable tools in the fields of
    molecular biology and genetics, specifically in the area of
    genetic engineering where they are commonly used to
    multiply (make many copies of ) particular genes .

    • Plasmids in this conditions are called vectors .


    They play a critical role in :

     gene cloning, recombinant protein production


    (e.g., of human insulin). Another major use of plasmids
    is to make large amounts of proteins. In this case,
    researchers grow bacteria containing a plasmid
    harboring the gene of interest.
    eg: insulin & antibiotics.
    Many plasmids are commercially available for such uses.

    Gene therapy- plasmid vectors are used for the insertion of


    therapeutic genes at pre- selected chromosomal target sites
    within the human genome.

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