competence
- Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDiversity in Natural Transformation Frequencies and Regulation across Vibrio Species
Naturally transformable, or competent, bacteria are able to take up DNA from their environment, a key method of horizontal gene transfer for acquisition of new DNA sequences. Our research shows that Vibrio species that inhabit marine environments exhibit a wide diversity in natural transformation capability ranging from nontransformability to high transformation rates in which 10% of cells measurably incorporate new DNA. We...