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The term plasmid was coined in 1952 by the American molecular biologist Joshua Lederberg to refer to "any extrachromosomal hereditary determinant." [11] [12] The term's early usage included any bacterial genetic material that exists extrachromosomally for at least part of its replication cycle, but because that description includes bacterial viruses, the notion of plasmid was refined over time ...
The cellular components of prokaryotes are not enclosed in membranes within the cytoplasm, like eukaryotic organelles. Bacteria have microcompartments, quasi-organelles enclosed in protein shells such as encapsulin protein cages, [4] [5] while both bacteria and some archaea have gas vesicles. [6] Prokaryotes have simple cell skeletons.
Multiple forms of extrachromosomal DNA exist, and, while some of these serve important biological functions, [1] they can also play a role in diseases such as cancer. [2] [3] [4] In prokaryotes, nonviral extrachromosomal DNA is primarily found in plasmids, whereas, in eukaryotes extrachromosomal DNA is primarily found in organelles. [1]
DNA transposons have been found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. They can make up a significant portion of an organism's genome, particularly in eukaryotes. In prokaryotes, TE's can facilitate the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance or other genes associated with virulence.
Toxin-antitoxin systems are widely distributed in prokaryotes, and organisms often have them in multiple copies. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] When these systems are contained on plasmids – transferable genetic elements – they ensure that only the daughter cells that inherit the plasmid survive after cell division .
This figure depicts fimbriae adhesion. In this process the fimbriae of a bacterial cell (right) adhere to specific proteins, called receptors, found on the outer membrane of a host cell (left). They do this by a specific interaction between the receptors of the host cell and the perfectly matched adhesions found on the bacteria's fimbriae.
Prokaryotic chromosomes have less sequence-based structure than eukaryotes. Bacteria typically have a one-point (the origin of replication) from which replication starts, whereas some archaea contain multiple replication origins. [26] The genes in prokaryotes are often organized in operons and do not usually contain introns, unlike eukaryotes.
Tazzyman and Bonhoeffer found that fixation (receiving) of the transferred plasmids in a new organism is just as important as the ability to transfer them. [29] Beneficial rare and transferable plasmids have a higher fixation probability, whereas deleterious transferable genetic elements have a lower fixation probability because they are lethal ...