Generalized and Specialized Transduction
Gene Transfer in Bacteria-3
Transduction (Generalized and Specialized Transduction)
- Transduction was discovered by in 1952 by Lederberg J and Zinder N in Salmonella typhimurium.
- Transduction, the third mechanism of gene transfer in bacteria, differs significantly from transformation and conjugation in that it is mediated by bacterial viruses.
- Bacterial genes are incorporated into a phage capsid because of errors that occurs during the virus life cycle.
- The virus then injects these genes into another bacterium, transferring genetic material one bacterium to another bacterium
The transfer of bacterial genes from one bacterium to another bacterium by bacteriophages is known as transduction
Types of transduction
- Generalized Transduction in which the phage can transfer any segment of the bacterial genome to another bacterium
- Specialized transduction in which only restricted segment of the bacterial genome are transferred. Transduction is common mechanism for gene exchange and recombination in bacteria.
