Prokaryotic Dna In Nucleoid Structur

Abstract

One of the primary characteristics distinguishing prokaryotic from eukaryotic cells is the absence of a nucleus with a clearly defined nuclear membrane. In prokaryotic cells the DNA is condensed into a structure called the nucleoid. This structure has also been referred to attimes as the nuclear body, prokaryotic nucleus, bacterial chromosome, folded genome, or folded bacterial chromosome. The nomenclature sometimes becomes confusing because unfolded bacterial DNA free of other components of the nucleoid has also been referred to as the bacterial chromosome. To avoid such confusion, it would be preferable to reserve the terms nucleoid or bacterial chromosome to describe the condensed prokaryotic DNA structures which have some features analogous to the eukaryotic metaphase chromosome and condensed interphase chromatin. If this convention is followed, the terms “folded chromosome” or “folded genome” become ambiguous because they could equally mean “folded nucleoid.” These latter terms will, therefore, be avoided throughout this article.