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Considerations on bacterial nucleoids

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Abstract

The classic genome organization of the bacterial chromosome is normally envisaged with all its genetic markers linked, thus forming a closed genetic circle of duplex stranded DNA (dsDNA) and several proteins in what it is called as “the bacterial nucleoid.” This structure may be more or less corrugated depending on the physiological state of the bacterium (i.e., resting state or active growth) and is not surrounded by a double membrane as in eukayotic cells. The universality of the closed circle model in bacteria is however slowly changing, as new data emerge in different bacterial groups such as in Planctomycetes and related microorganisms, species of Borrelia, Streptomyces, Agrobacterium, or Phytoplasma. In these and possibly other microorganisms, the existence of complex formations of intracellular membranes or linear chromosomes is typical; all of these situations contributing to weakening the current cellular organization paradigm, i.e., prokaryotic vs eukaryotic cells.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to Prof. Arnold Demain from Drew University (USA) for his help with the English version of the manuscript and for his criticisms. They also want to thank Jose Manuel Ageitos for his drawing of Fig. 2

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors, whatsoever.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Lucía Feijoo-Siota, José Luis R. Rama & Tomás G. Villa

  2. Discipline of Physiology and Bosch Institute, School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Angeles Sánchez-Pérez

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  1. Lucía Feijoo-Siota
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  2. José Luis R. Rama
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  3. Angeles Sánchez-Pérez
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  4. Tomás G. Villa
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Correspondence to Tomás G. Villa.

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Feijoo-Siota, L., Rama, J.L.R., Sánchez-Pérez, A. et al. Considerations on bacterial nucleoids. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 101, 5591–5602 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8381-7

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