natural transformation
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceBacterial Transformation Buffers Environmental Fluctuations through the Reversible Integration of Mobile Genetic ElementsNatural transformation is the acquisition, controlled by bacteria, of extracellular DNA and is one of the most common mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer, promoting the spread of resistance genes. However, its evolutionary function remains elusive, and two main roles have been proposed: (i) the new gene acquisition and genetic mixing within bacterial populations and (ii) the removal of infectious parasitic mobile genetic elements (...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDiversity in Natural Transformation Frequencies and Regulation across Vibrio SpeciesNaturally 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...