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From conjugation to T4S systems in Gram-negative bacteria: a mechanistic biology perspective.

Gabriel Waksman
Published in: EMBO reports (2019)
Conjugation is the process by which bacteria exchange genetic materials in a unidirectional manner from a donor cell to a recipient cell. The discovery of conjugation signalled the dawn of genetics and molecular biology. In Gram-negative bacteria, the process of conjugation is mediated by a large membrane-embedded machinery termed "conjugative type IV secretion (T4S) system", a large injection nanomachine, which together with a DNA-processing machinery termed "the relaxosome" and a large extracellular tube termed "pilus" orchestrates directional DNA transfer. Here, the focus is on past and latest research in the field of conjugation and T4S systems in Gram-negative bacteria, with an emphasis on the various questions and debates that permeate the field from a mechanistic perspective.
Keyphrases
  • single cell
  • cell therapy
  • single molecule
  • small molecule
  • stem cells
  • gene expression
  • genome wide
  • nucleic acid