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Difference between general and specialised transduction...

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  • 10-04-2012 9:33pm
    #1
    jumpguy
    Registered Users Posts: 7,962 ✭✭✭


    Hello the good people of the biology forum, I'm a bit stuck trying to figure out the difference between general and specialised transduction in relation to the transfer of bacterial genetic material by viruses (or phage if you prefer the term).

    According to my notes, generalised transduction is fairly rare. It is when the infecting accidentally package some bacterial DNA instead of it's own DNA when replicating. When cell lysis occurs and the virus with the bacterial DNA infects another bacteria, this DNA may be recombinant with homologous bacterial DNA. The virus fails to replicate because it carried the wrong DNA.

    But for specialised transduction I'm told that when some viruses infect a bacteria they do not go into replication (fail to enter the lytic cycle). The DNA of the virus may then be recombinant into the bacterial DNA.

    But is specialised transduction not then merely the end result of generalised transduction? The virus fails to enter the lytic cycle because it's carrying the wrong DNA, and the DNA may instead be recombinant with homologous bacterial DNA in the bacteria "infected"...

    Or am I misguided? Any help is appreciated!

    EDIT: Oh, dang, was hoping I could delete this. With the help Wikipedia I think I've found the answer - by finding out about another method of viral replication called the lysogenic cycle. :o


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