Triparental mating
Encyclopedia
Triparental mating is a form of Bacterial conjugation
where a conjugative plasmid present in one bacterial strain assists the transfer of a mobilizable plasmid present in a second bacterial strain into a third bacterial strain. Plasmid
s are introduced into bacteria for such purposes as transformation
, cloning
, or transposon
mutagenesis. Triparental matings can help overcome some of the barriers to efficient plasmid mobilization. For instance, if the conjugative plasmid and the mobilizable plasmid are members of the same incompatibility group they do not need to stably coexist in the second bacterial strain for the mobilizable plasmid to be transferred.
Five to seven days are required to determine if the
plasmid was successfully introduced into the new bacterial
strain and confirm that there is no carryover of the helper or
donor strain.
In contrast, Electroporation
does not require a helper or
donor strain. This helps
avoid possible contamination with other strains. The introduction
of the plasmid can be verified in the recipient
strain in two days, making electroporation a faster and
more efficient method of transformation.
Bacterial conjugation
Bacterial conjugation is the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells by direct cell-to-cell contact or by a bridge-like connection between two cells...
where a conjugative plasmid present in one bacterial strain assists the transfer of a mobilizable plasmid present in a second bacterial strain into a third bacterial strain. Plasmid
Plasmid
In microbiology and genetics, a plasmid is a DNA molecule that is separate from, and can replicate independently of, the chromosomal DNA. They are double-stranded and, in many cases, circular...
s are introduced into bacteria for such purposes as transformation
Transformation (genetics)
In molecular biology transformation is the genetic alteration of a cell resulting from the direct uptake, incorporation and expression of exogenous genetic material from its surroundings and taken up through the cell membrane. Transformation occurs naturally in some species of bacteria, but it can...
, cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
, or transposon
Transposon
Transposable elements are sequences of DNA that can move or transpose themselves to new positions within the genome of a single cell. The mechanism of transposition can be either "copy and paste" or "cut and paste". Transposition can create phenotypically significant mutations and alter the cell's...
mutagenesis. Triparental matings can help overcome some of the barriers to efficient plasmid mobilization. For instance, if the conjugative plasmid and the mobilizable plasmid are members of the same incompatibility group they do not need to stably coexist in the second bacterial strain for the mobilizable plasmid to be transferred.
Requirements
- A helper strain, Carrying a conjugative plasmid (such as the F-plasmid) that codes for genes required for conjugationBacterial conjugationBacterial conjugation is the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells by direct cell-to-cell contact or by a bridge-like connection between two cells...
and DNADNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
transfer. - A donor strain, Carrying a mobilizable plasmid that can utilize the transfer functions of the conjugative plasmid.
- A recipient strain, you wish to introduce the mobilizable plasmid into.
Five to seven days are required to determine if the
plasmid was successfully introduced into the new bacterial
strain and confirm that there is no carryover of the helper or
donor strain.
In contrast, Electroporation
Electroporation
Electroporation, or electropermeabilization, is a significant increase in the electrical conductivity and permeability of the cell plasma membrane caused by an externally applied electrical field...
does not require a helper or
donor strain. This helps
avoid possible contamination with other strains. The introduction
of the plasmid can be verified in the recipient
strain in two days, making electroporation a faster and
more efficient method of transformation.
See also
- Bacterial conjugationBacterial conjugationBacterial conjugation is the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells by direct cell-to-cell contact or by a bridge-like connection between two cells...
- plasmidPlasmidIn microbiology and genetics, a plasmid is a DNA molecule that is separate from, and can replicate independently of, the chromosomal DNA. They are double-stranded and, in many cases, circular...
- transposon (applications)
- bacteriophageBacteriophageA bacteriophage is any one of a number of viruses that infect bacteria. They do this by injecting genetic material, which they carry enclosed in an outer protein capsid...