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Transformation and conjugation permit the passage of DNA throughthe bacterial membranes and represent dominant modes for thetransfer of genetic information between bacterial cells or betweenbacterial and eukaryotic cells. As such, they are responsiblefor the spread of fitness-enhancing traits, including antibioticresistance. Both processes usually involve the recognition ofdouble-stranded DNA, followed by the transfer of single strands.Elaborate molecular machines are responsible for negotiatingthe passage of macromolecular DNA through the layers of thecell surface. All or nearly all the machine components involvedin transformation and conjugation have been identified, andhere we present models for their roles in DNA transport.
1 Public Health Research Institute, 225 Warren Street, Newark, NJ 07103, USA. 2 Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: Peter.J.Christie{at}uth.tmc.edu (P.J.C.); dubnau{at}phri.org (D.D.)
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