title: New insights into how bacteria take up DNA during transformation.
abstract: Haemophilus influenzae possesses an efficient natural transformation system. Under appropriate growth conditions, every cell in a culture acquires the competence to take up several molecules of DNA. Only donor DNAs from Haemophilus species are taken up; foreign DNAs are excluded. Specific recognition is achieved through the interaction of a receptor protein present on the recipient cell membrane with an 11 base pair sequence present at high frequency in the donor DNA.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial