Index >> Bacterial Recombination >> Complete And Abortive Transduction

When the exogenote is not inserted into the bacterial chromosome, it results in abortive transduction. The DNA fragment remains in the cytoplasm as a free particle with cannot undergo replication. When the bacterial cell divides, only one daughter cell in each gene­ration contains the exogenote which is transmitted unilinearly. All the other cells have the nontransduced genotype. Synthesis of functional gene products (e. g. enzymes) can be carried out only in the cells containing the exogenote.

These cells receive the normal complement of enzyme specified by the transducing DNA. In the nontranductant daughter cells the gene product progressively decreases as multiplication proceeds, because it is divided amongst the cells or used up. This result in the production of slow-growing minute colonies or microcolonies. When such a colony is picked up and restreaked on a nutrient plate, it again produces a minute colony, since only one of its cells contains the exogenote.