Abstract
The bacteria comprise a vast and diverse group of which only a small proportion have been investigated in any detail. However, mechanisms that enable genetic exchange between individual cells appear to be a ubiquitous feature. The occurrence of plasmid-mediated conjugation and DNA transfer, bacteriophage-mediated DNA transduction and transformation with naked DNA have all been demonstrated in the laboratory for many different groups. Culture conditions and other factors which promote or inhibit genetic interactions have been identified but it is not clear how these observations relate to the behaviour of the bacteria in their native environments. Evidence for naturally-occurring intergeneric gene transfer comes from the discovery of antibiotic resistance genes, transposons, insertion elements and plasmids with similar DNA sequences in unrelated bacterial isolates. Often the (G + C) content and distribution of restriction endonuclease recognition sites in these DNA elements differs significantly from that in the host organism.
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Hirsch, P.R. (1990). Factors limiting gene transfer in bacteria. In: Fry, J.C., Day, M.J. (eds) Bacterial Genetics in Natural Environments. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1834-4_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1834-4_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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