Bacterial Chromosome

Abstract

Under conditions of active growth, bacteria replicate their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and divide with generation times as short as 20–25 min; similarly rapid rates are practically unknown in other taxa. In contrast to the typical eukaryotic cell, DNA transcription, translation and replication occur simultaneously and at nearby locations. The highly dynamic processes lead to a reticulation of DNA and ribonucleic acid (RNA), permitting optimization of messenger RNA (mRNA) interaction (number of contacts) with ribosomes.