Genetic Competence Apparatus of Bacillus Subtilis

描述(申请人提供)：在细菌中，遗传信息是“垂直”转移的，因为DNA是由子细胞遗传的。遗传信息也可以“水平”转移，在许多情况下，这是导致毒力和抗生素耐药性的基因交换的原因。水平转移是细菌进化的一个主要因素。水平转移的一个重要途径是将DNA释放到环境中，然后细菌吸收这种DNA，这一过程被称为转化。本申请中提出的工作致力于获得对转换过程的机械性理解。我们希望了解细胞如何将DNA结合到其表面，以及如何将这种DNA内化，一种称为假乳头的丝状结构在摄取过程中的作用，并使用显微镜观察DNA内化后的摄取和处理以及DNA与受体细胞染色体的相互作用。能够转化的细胞处于一种生理状态，在这种状态下，它们的生长、分裂和DNA复制都会停止。我们将继续努力了解这一被捕的原因以及使细胞最终恢复生长的机制。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In bacteria, genetic information is transferred "vertically" because DNA is inherited by daughter cells. Genetic information can also be transferred "horizontally", accounting in many cases for the exchange of genes that contribute to virulence and antibiotic resistance. Horizontal transfer is a major factor in the evolution of bacteria. An important route of horizontal transfer is by the release of DNA into the environment and the subsequent uptake of this DNA by bacteria, a process known as transformation. The work proposed in this application is devoted to obtaining a mechanistic understanding of the transformation process. We wish to learn how cells bind DNA to their surface and how they internalize this DNA, the role of a filamentous structure known as the pseudopilus in the uptake process and to use microscopy to visualize the uptake and processing of the DNA once it is internalized as well as the interaction of the DNA with the recipient cell chromosome. Cells that are capable of being transformed are in a physiological state in which their growth, division and DNA replication are halted. We will continue our efforts to understand the causes of this arrest and the mechanisms that enable the cells to eventually resume growth.