Giant bacterium carries thousands of genomes - Why does it bother?

Nature News ^ | 8 May 2008 | Heidi Ledford

[neverdem]

It seems like a peculiar case of genomic overkill: a single-celled bacterium has been found that keeps tens of thousands of copies of its genome. The finding sets a record for most genomes per cell, but also poses an obvious question: what could be the advantage of stashing away as much as 200,000 copies of your genome?

The number of genome copies in each cell varies by species. Many bacteria have only one copy; most cells in the human body contain two. Plants are notorious for being genomically promiscuous, picking up extra genomes then losing them again in a cycle that can occur repeatedly in a plant's evolutionary history. "You may think that as a blueprint of life, the genome might be very stable in size," says Sally Otto, an evolutionary biologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. "So it is really quite remarkable that organisms vary so widely in the number of genome copies they have."

More genomes than any predator would want to swallow
Esther Angert

[tacticalogic]

Reason? Greed?

Who knows. Maybe they found it standing alongside the road with a sign that said "Will carry genomes for unicornfish poop."

[dighton]

You never know when you’ll need a spare genome, horse’s jawbone, beaded lampshade, or X-ray machine.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

Cool! Thanks for posting.

I wonder what the rate of replication is for these bacteria, and whether they routinely go through cycles of DNA synthesis/genome duplication without dividing. It’s possible that this large number of genomes began as a consequence of defective bacterial replication, and is now retained because of the advantage this gives to a large cell for protein production. The point someone made about whether or not these genomes are all active is an important one. Probably not all are active at any given point in time.

[tacticalogic]

Probably not all are active at any given point in time.

Would the inactive ones "tar pit" a virus?

[AnAmericanMother]

I don't feel so bad about the state of our spare room any more.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

That's an interesting question. If there were enough homology with the nucleic acids of an invading virus it might be possible for the bacterium to tie-up the viral genome such that it couldn't replicate.

[elcid1970]

Hey, Admin Moderator:

Could you please relocate this thread so the words “President’s Daughter to Wed” and “Giant Bacterium” don’t appear on my screen at the same time?

I mean, it is so DailyKos to juxtapose the two!

[GOPJ]

Knight Errant, I suspect you miss your mother — and that she taught you much that made you a conservative... A toast to Mothers...

[null and void]

Regarding your tagline, do you have Kartagener’s syndrome perchance?

[GourmetDan]

"Regarding your tagline, do you have Kartagener’s syndrome perchance?"

No, you?

[Erasmus]

Hmmm. The protection of the herd.

[Balding_Eagle]

BE? Never mind.

Heh heh. Funny how proof sometimes just pops up on it's own.

[null and void]

No. Although one of my old roommates did find a kid in Vietnam who had it.

[GourmetDan]

Indeed

[neverdem]

Tobacco as a self-medication and ‘wellness'

The Uneven Playing Field link to thread & regular NY Times' webpage

The Uneven Playing Field Times' printer frindly page, it's long, but interesting.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair (ACL) Slide show - Female athletes rupture their A.C.L.’s almost five times more than male athletes.

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

[GourmetDan]

"No. Although one of my old roommates did find a kid in Vietnam who had it."

Asian kid huh? How many countries did you and your roommate visit?

[Balding_Eagle]

the expression or feeling of uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's own accomplishment, good fortune, etc........... [Origin: 1705–15]

It is fitting. Thanks.

[null and void]

He was there on a fully paid “vacation” courtesy Uncle Sam during the Vietnam War, as a Green Beret medic. Which was how he found out the kid had Kartagener’s.

Until a business trip last year, I’d never been to Asia.

[GourmetDan]

"the expression or feeling of uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's own accomplishment, good fortune, etc..........."

Sure is. Thanks.

[GourmetDan]

"He was there on a fully paid “vacation” courtesy Uncle Sam during the Vietnam War, as a Green Beret medic."

Yeah, my dad got one of those as did a lot of guys I knew.

Myself, I've never been to Asia.