Transformation
 | Transformation is the process of altering a cell so that it acquires and expresses genetic material acquired from the surrounding environment. Transformation is commonly used to introduce recombinant plasmid DNA into bacterial strains which can transform naturally or can be made by competent for transformation by artificial means. These latter are known as competent bacteria or simply competent cells.
|
Types of Competent Cells for Transformation
An important consideration in selecting either chemically competent or electrocompetent cells is their transformation efficiency. This is expressed as the number of transformants (or colony forming units) per microgram of plasmid DNA (cfu/µg). You can read more about how transformation efficiency is determined on our competent cells page.
Chemically Competent CellsChemically competent cells are calcium chloride-treated to facilitate attachment of the plasmid DNA to the competent cell membrane. During chemical transformation, the cells are heat-shocked in a water bath; which opens the pores of the cell membrane allowing entry of plasmid DNA from the buffer.
|
Electrocompetent CellsElectrocompetent cells are prepared for transformation using electroporation, a method that uses an electrical pulse to create pores through which genetic material enters the cells.
|
Clone up to ten DNA fragments simultaneously in a single vector.
