Transduction (genetics)

Transduction is a process in genetics where bacteria transfer genetic material using bacteriophages. It is one of the three main mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer, the other two being transformation and conjugation.

Transduction (genetics)

Overview

Transduction does not require physical contact between the cell donating the DNA and the cell receiving the DNA (which occurs in conjugation), and it is DNAase resistant (transformation is susceptible to DNAase). Transduction is a common tool used by molecular biologists to stably introduce a foreign gene into a host cell's genome.

Types of Transduction

There are two types of transduction: generalized transduction and specialized transduction.

Generalized Transduction

In generalized transduction, virtually any genetic marker can be transferred from donor to recipient. This occurs in either the lytic or the lysogenic cycle when a prophage is incorrectly excised and takes a part of the host DNA. When this phage infects another bacterium, it can transfer this DNA.

Specialized Transduction

In specialized transduction, however, only specific portions of the bacterial genome are transferred. This occurs in the lysogenic cycle and is done by temperate phages that have inserted their genome into the bacterial chromosome at specific sites.

See Also

• Bacteriophage
• Horizontal gene transfer
• Transformation (genetics)
• Conjugation (genetics)