Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology · 1968 · 128 citations · 0 references
Life SciencesGeneticsMicrobiologyDna ReplicationGene StructureMicrobial GeneticsCytoplasmic InheritanceMicrobial Genome ReplicationPlasmid BiologyPlasmid GeneticsPlasmid ReplicationEscherichia ColiPlasmid ArchitecturePlasmid Chromosome OrganizationPlasmid InheritancePlasmid Structure
Many cytoplasmic elements have been found in bacteria which are able to replicate independently of the host chromosome. In E. coli there are, for example, sex factors, colicinogenic factors, drug-resistance factors, and several types of cytoplasmic DNA serving unidentified functions (Scaife, 1967; Cozzarelli et al., 1968). The generic name 'plasmid' has been proposed for these elements (Lederberg, 1952; Jacob and Wollman, 1961). Plasmids are replicons (Jacob et al., 1963), having genetic elements necessary for replication, separation, and transmission from mother to daughter cell separately from the host chromosome.