Back to the Berkmen Main Webpage 7.341 NOT JUST A BAG OF
ENZYMES: DNA DYNAMICS IN THE TINY BACTERIAL CELL MIT Advanced
Undergraduate Seminar Fall 2005 Melanie Berkmen and Lyle Simmons
Time Mondays, 11 am – 1 pm Room 68-151 Organizer Bob Horvitz
Bacteria were among the first organisms to inhabit the earth,
and they will probably be the last. While some bacteria are the
causative agents of diseases such as anthrax and cholera, other
bacteria play helpful roles, e.g., in plant development and
antibiotic production. Studies of bacteria have been important
for our understanding of central biological principles. For
example, all cells possess mechanisms that ensure that each
daughter cell inherits a full complement of genes after cell
division. In humans, improper chromosome segregation may lead to
cancer or other diseases. In bacteria, failed chromosome
segregation results in death. Many bacteria must also segregate
relatively small DNA molecules called plasmids, which can encode
antibiotic-resistance and virulenc