what are competant cell?
The bacterial cells that can take up the foreign DNA from the surroundings by a process called transformation are known as competent cells. Griffith first reported it in Streptococcus pneumoniae. E.coli cells are more likely to uptake the DNA if their cell walls are altered. The cells can be made competent by calcium chloride and heat shock treatment. The cells growing rapidly can be made competent more easily than those in other stages of growth. The cells might express the acquired genetic information after transformation. The process is largely used to introduce recombinant plasmid DNA into competent bacterial cells. This process does not require a donor cell, but only a DNA in the surrounding environment
The bacterial cells that can take up the foreign DNA from the surroundings by a process called transformation are known as competent cells. Griffith first reported it in Streptococcus pneumoniae. E.coli cells are more likely to uptake the DNA if their cell walls are altered. The cells can be made competent by calcium chloride and heat shock treatment. The cells growing rapidly can be made competent more easily than those in other stages of growth. The cells might express the acquired genetic information after transformation. The process is largely used to introduce recombinant plasmid DNA into competent bacterial cells. This process does not require a donor cell, but only a DNA in the surrounding environment.
