Bacterial Genetics Why do genetics in bacteria? haploid so there are no problems with dominance they have many fewer genes than eukaryotes (<5,000) small and fast growing - good for statistics and studying rare events you can isolate clones they are responsible for many diseases economically important (biotech, agricultural diseases, novel biochemical products and reactions) How do you do genetics in bacteria? Luria and Delbruck (1943) are bacterial variants adaptations or mutations? used a fluctuation test variants are mutants How to get DNA transfer and recombination? Bacteria do not have meiosis and eukaryotic sexual reproduction. However, they do have many different mechanisms for exchanging genes between individuals, including transformation, conjugation, sexduction and transduction. These mechanisms can be used by a geneticist to study bacterial genes. Bell CSU Chico Library This document is copyright of Jeff Bell Last Update: Wednesday, August 12, 1998