Table of Contents
What transfers DNA from one bacterial cell to another?
Conjugation
Conjugation is the process by which one bacterium transfers genetic material to another through direct contact. During conjugation, one bacterium serves as the donor of the genetic material, and the other serves as the recipient. The donor bacterium carries a DNA sequence called the fertility factor, or F-factor.
What bacterial appendage is used to transfer plasmids from one cell to another?
Transfer of genetic material occurs during the process of bacterial conjugation. During this process, DNA plasmid is transferred from one bacterium (the donor) of a mating pair into another (the recipient) via a pilus.
What appendage to bacteria use to get around?
They move towards good things, such as nutrients, and away from harmful chemicals. Microbes have a variety of methods for moving, both through the use of appendages, such as flagella or pili, orwithoutsuchstructures;theycanevenco-opthostcellular machinery to move between cells.
Which of the following bacterial appendages is involved in the transfer of genetic material?
Table 2. Summary of characteristics of typical bacterial cell structures
| Structure Flagella | Function(s) Swimming movement |
|---|---|
| Pili | |
| Sex pilus | Stabilizes mating bacteria during DNA transfer by conjugation |
| Common pili or fimbriae | Attachment to surfaces; protection against phagotrophic engulfment |
What is Fimbriae microbiology?
Fimbriae are long filamentous polymeric protein structures located at the surface of bacterial cells. They enable the bacteria to bind to specific receptor structures and thereby to colonise specific surfaces.
What are long appendages used for motility?
Flagella: The purpose of flagella (sing., flagellum) is motility. Flagella are long appendages which rotate by means of a “motor” in the cell envelope.
Which appendages are helping in conjugation?
A pilus (Latin for “hair;” plural: pili) is a hairlike appendage found on the surface of many bacteria. The terms pilus and fimbria (Latin for “thread” or “fiber,” plural: fimbriae ) can be used interchangeably, although some researchers reserve the term pilus for the appendage required for bacterial conjugation.
What is appendage in microbiology?
Cell surface appendages (aka filamentous appendages) are proteinaceous tubular or fibrous structures found on the surface of bacterial cells. They extend from the surface of the bacterial cell wall and can have many functions such as locomotion, attachment, adhesion and assisting in genetic exchange.
What are cell appendages used for?
Appendages. Prokaryotic cells often have appendages (protrusions from the cell surface) that allow the cell to stick to surfaces, move around, or transfer DNA to other cells.
What appendages provide motility?
Flagella are long, propeller-like structures that provide motility to bacteria, distinct from non-flagellar structures known as pili or fimbriae, which are thinner, hair-like structures involved in adherence, biofilm formation, and in the case of type IV pili, twitching motility (see Chapter 13).
What are called transferred DNA?
The transfer DNA (abbreviated T-DNA) is the transferred DNA of the tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid of some species of bacteria such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Agrobacterium rhizogenes(actually an Ri plasmid). The T-DNA is transferred from bacterium into the host plant’s nuclear DNA genome.