Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why did Mycoplasma capricolum cells take on the characteristics of Mycoplasma mycoides after a genome transplant?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
synthetic biology
A scanning electron micrograph of cells of Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0—a synthetic bacterium.
The Mycoplasma capricolum cells took on the characteristics of Mycoplasma mycoides because the transplanted genome replaced the host's original genetic material. Following the genome transplant, the recipient cells became completely devoid of their native genes. Consequently, after cell division, the bacteria expressed the traits dictated by the newly introduced DNA, rendering them phenotypically equivalent to M. mycoides.1