Definition
noun, plural: F’ bacteria
The bacterium possessing a plasmid containing the F factor and a part of the bacterial genome.
Supplement
There are instances when the F factor incorporated in the chromosome of the Hfr bacterium loops out and becomes a plasmid. In certain cases, the looped-out plasmid not only contains F factor DNA but also a portion of the bacterial chromosome. This occurs when the excision from the chromosome is erroneous.
Variant(s):
- F’ bacterium
Compare (with other groups of bacteria in terms of F factor):
See also:
- F factor
