Question

What is bacterial transformation? What are the differences and similarities between transforming a bacterial cell with a plasmid and with a DNA fragment?

Answer 1

Answer)- Transformation is a technique of horizontal gene transfer where the Bacterial cells take up the naked DNA present in their surrounding and get transformed. This phenomenon was first described by Griffith in Streptococcus pneumoniae in 1928.

• Differences between Transformation of bacterial cells with plasmid and with a DNA fragment.

- When a Bacterial cell is transformed with plasmid, the method is artificial as the plasmid is first of all ligated with gene of interest and then inserted inside the cell, while Transformation with DNA fragment can or cannot result in desired gene of interest and in turn the desired property in bacteria can/cannot be visible.

- plasmid usually results in antimicrobial resistance in bacteria while DNA fragment with no such gene will not result in any such activity.

• Similarities between plasmid transformation and DNA fragment transformation in bacteria.

- Transformation by both means will result in genetic changes in the Bacterial cells. For eg:- antimicrobial resistance in cells.

- Transformation by either means can be used to make clones. DNA cloning is one such example.