bacteria having multiple genders?

[HayleyNasman]

I have heard that some kinds of bacteria have been found to have up to six different genders.

Does anyone know how these "different genders" are determined?

[baikuza]

taxonomy...
all species is clssified by its characteristics...
maybe they are different between each other... at some aspect.
you can try
http://www.bacterio.cict.fr/bacdico/pp/ ... teria.html
http://webclu.bio.wzw.tum.de/genre/proj ... .html?id=2

yes... some time using protein as the variable...

[canalon]

There is no such things as genders in bacteria, since genders are linked to sexual reproduction. But the transfer of plasmid can be impaired by the presence of other plasmids. Hence plasmids are grouped in "incompatibility groups". When you have one type of plasmid of one group (can be multicopy) bacteria will not allow plasmid from the same group to conjugate.

[GreenDog]

Yeah, incompatibility groups in bacteria same as mating types in yeast, but it's definitely more romantic to think about a male bacteria meeting a good looking female bacteria...

[baikuza]

i think i need to take microbiology lecture so that i know.
(fufufu..)

[victor]

There is no such things as genders in bacteria, since genders are linked to sexual reproduction. But the transfer of plasmid can be impaired by the presence of other plasmids. Hence plasmids are grouped in "incompatibility groups". When you have one type of plasmid of one group (can be multicopy) bacteria will not allow plasmid from the same group to conjugate.

Recent study have discover that there's a mating between bacteria...they use the term for male is for bacteria which do attractant metabolism to attract other bacteria while they use the term for female for bacteria which don't do that kind of thing...
this kind of mating will result gene variation and other else aspects...

[2810712]

abt those incompatibility groups... is it like that - a bact has a definite set of plasmids... so it will not met with any bacteria with even one common plasmid in the set...& can only met with others?
And abt that attractant definitions...can't same bact do both things , i mean attracting and sometimes not attracting...i know bacts only reproduce once in lifetime but each time one releases attractant there may not be reproduction... but that will indicate maleness...and the same bact may be feminine due to some reason at the actual time of 'repro'.
The receptors and mRNAs must've been the clues...

[Nithin]

There is no such thing as genders in bacteria. But there is a term called fertility factor (which you all must be knowing, no doubt). This fertility factor is represented by the presence of the F plasmid. The bacteria having the F plasmid are categorised as F+ and those devoid of the F plasmid are termed as F-.
It has been proved that the Fertility factor is instrumental in the formation of the conjugation tube during conjugation(sexual reproduction).
F+ bacteria will conjugate with F- bacteria and the fertility factor will be transferred so that the F- bacteria becomes F+ one.
Just trivia, the genes responsible for the transfer of the fertility factor are the tra genes.
So in a layman's language (not professionally) maybe we can carelessly term the F+ bacteria as the male one which is wrong!!!

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