chromosome
(noun)
A structure in the cell nucleus that contains DNA, histone protein, and other structural proteins.
Examples of chromosome in the following topics:
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Chromosomes and DNA Replication in the Archaea
- The cell division process is controlled by the cell cycle; the chromosomes within the Archaea are replicated to produce two daughter chromosomes.
- Archaea typically have a single circular chromosome.
- The two daughter chromosomes are then separated and the cell divides.
- The circular chromosomes contain multiple origins of replication, using DNA polymerases that resemble eukaryotic enzymes.
- The replication of DNA, beginning at the origins of replication present on the circular chromosomes, requires initiator proteins.
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Introduction to Plasmids
- A plasmid is a small DNA molecule that is physically separate from, and can replicate independently of, chromosomal DNA within a cell.
- In microbiology and genetics, a plasmid is a DNA molecule that is separate from, and can replicate independently of the chromosomal DNA.They are double-stranded and, in many cases, circular.
- The upper half of the image shows a bacterium with its chromosomal DNA and plasmids dividing into two identical bacteria, each with their chromosomal DNA and plasmids.
- The lower half of the image shows a bacterium with its chromosomal DNA, but with an episome.
- Next to this bacterium, we see the same bacterium, but after the episome has integrated into the chromosomal DNA and has become a part of it.
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Bacterial Transduction
- If the lysogenic cycle is adopted, the phage chromosome is integrated (by covalent bonds) into the bacterial chromosome, where it can remain dormant for thousands of generations.
- At the same time, some phage genes are left behind in the bacterial chromosome.
- If by chance bacterial chromosomal DNA is inserted into the viral capsid which is usually used to encapsulate the viral DNA, the mistake will lead to generalized transduction.
- The genes that get transferred (donor genes) depend on where the phage genome is located on the chromosome.
- Specialized transduction occurs when the prophage excises imprecisely from the chromosome so that bacterial genes lying adjacent to the prophage are included in the excised DNA.
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Bacterial Chromosomes in the Nucleoid
- It is commonly referred to as a prokaryotic chromosome.
- The term "chromosome" is misleading, because the genophore lacks chromatin.
- The genophore is compacted through a mechanism known as supercoiling, but a chromosome is additionally compacted through the use of chromatin.
- Genophores are generally of a much smaller size than Eukaryotic chromosomes.
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Bacteriophage Lambda as a Cloning Vector
- However, under certain conditions, the phage DNA may integrate itself into the host cell chromosome in the lysogenic pathway.
- The genes that get transferred (donor genes) depend on where the phage genome is located on the chromosome.
- Specialized transduction occurs when the prophage excises imprecisely from the chromosome so that bacterial genes lying adjacent to the prophage are included in the excised DNA.
- The excised DNA is then packaged into a new virus particle, which delivers the DNA to a new bacterium where the donor genes can be inserted into the recipient chromosome or remain in the cytoplasm, depending on the nature of the bacteriophage.
- When the partially encapsulated phage material infects another cell and becomes a "prophage" (is covalently bonded into the infected cell's chromosome), the partially coded prophage DNA is called a "heterogenote. "
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Caulobacter Differentiation
- Chromosome replication and cell division only occurs in the stalked cell stage.
- An essential feature of the Caulobacter cell cycle is that the chromosome is replicated once and only once per cell cycle.
- This is in contrast to the E. coli cell cycle where there can be overlapping rounds of chromosome replication simultaneously underway.
- The opposing roles of the Caulobacter DnaA and CtrA proteins are essential to the tight control of Caulobacter chromosome replication.
- The DnaA protein acts at the origin of replication to initiate the replication of the chromosome.
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Genetic Analysis
- Bacterial chromosomes contain double stranded molecules of DNA arranged in a circular form called plasmids .
- Bacteria possess extra chromosomal genetic elements that encode for antibiotic resistance, toxins, virulence determining genes, and reduced sensitivity to mutagens such as heavy metals.
- PFGE is essential for estimating the sizes of whole genomes/chromosomes prior to sequencing and is necessary for preparing large DNA fragments for large insert DNA cloning and analysis of subsequent clones.
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The Cell Wall of Bacteria
- The term "nucleoid" refers to the region of the cytoplasm where chromosomal DNA is located, usually a singular, circular chromosome.
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Annotating Genomes
- The genome sequence of an organism includes the collective DNA sequences of each chromosome in the organism.
- For a bacterium containing a single chromosome, a genome project will aim to map the sequence of that chromosome.
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DNA Oncogenic Viruses
- In cells that are non-permissive for replication, viral DNA is usually, but not always, integrated into the cell chromosomes at random sites.
- A seminal observation was that it was no longer possible to isolate infectious virus from the malignant growth because the virus had become integrated into the chromosomes of the malignant cells.