The physiological state of natural competence for transformation allows certain bacteria to
take up free DNA from the environment and to recombine such newly acquired DNA into …

Comparative genome analyses revealed a massive DNA exchange between microbes of
distant evolutionary lineages. This phenomenon known as horizontal, or lateral, gene …

We demonstrate here that the acquisition of DNase resistance by transforming DNA, often
assumed to indicate transport to the cytoplasm, reflects uptake to the periplasm, requiring a …

Bacterial transformation, transduction, and “conjugation” can be considered the first
horizontal transfer mechanisms in living organisms; these mechanisms have occurred since …

Natural bacterial transformation involves the internalization and chromosomal integration of
DNA and has now been documented in∼ 80 species. Recent advances have established …

In natural transformation, DNA in the form of macromolecular fragments can be translocated
across the cell envelope of prokaryotic microorganisms. During the past two decades …

Extremophilic prokaryotes live under harsh environmental conditions which require far-
reaching cellular adaptations. The acquisition of novel genetic information via natural …

DNA pumps play important roles in bacteria during cell division and during the transfer of
genetic material by conjugation and transformation. The FtsK/SpoIIIE proteins carry out the …

Bacterial conjugation is a mechanism for horizontal DNA transfer with potential for universal
DNA delivery. The conjugal machinery can be separated into three functional modules: the …

Bacterial conjugation has long served as a model system for developing a mechanistic
understanding of how nucleic acids translocate across biological membranes. Early studies …