Mutations

• Binary fission


  How bacteria reproduce, by splitting in two and mostly getting two identical copies of the parent cell
• Transformation


  When a bacterium takes in DNA from its environment, usually that's been shed from other bacteria. If it's a plasmid it can be taken in and copied, then passed down
• Plasmid


  Circular form of DNA
• Transduction


  When bacteriophages move short pieces of chromosomal DNA from one bacterium to another accidentally if chunks of host DNA get stuck on them and then get put into the new host. Then the new cell has new DNA
• Conjugation


  When DNA is transferred from one bacterium to another after getting drawn together with a pilus
• Pilus


  Structure that a donor bacterium cell uses to pull a recipient bacterium towards it
• Fertility factor (F factor)


  Chunk of DNA in donor cells that codes for proteins that makes up the sex pilus
• Transposable elements


  Chunks of DNA that jump from one part of a genome to another, going wherever. In eukaryotes and prokaryotes, but in bacteria they can jump to plasmids and easily be transferred through conjugation or transduction, which could turn pathogenic or antibiotic resistant
• Genetic variation in viruses mostly comes from:

  • Recombination (when viruses swap chunks of genetic material)
  • Random mutation (when a change occurs in RNA/DNA sequence)
• Recombination


  When two viruses infect the same cell at once, they have lots of DNA or RNA floating around, similar genomes can swap, or they can swap segments (like chromosomes for virusues)
• Segments


  Tiny chromosomes of viruses
• Influenza viruses are especially good at recombining in pigs, whose cells can recognize both human and avian strains
• Mutation


  Permanent change in the genetic material of a virus that happens if there is a mistake during RNA or DNA copying
• RNA viruses mutate more because the cell's proofreading mechanism for it is not as stringent and doesn't have the equivalent of DNA polymerase