title: Development of a new tool to improve gene transfer frequency calculations.
abstract: Gene transfer frequency can be determined experimentally on plates, but the methods currently in use do not discriminate between independent transfers and clonal multiplication of initial transformants. In order to overcome this bias, we engineered an Acinetobacter baylyi population in which cells differed by a specific molecular signature and used it as recipient in transformation experiments. Our results suggest that a corrective factor of 0.52 should be applied in order to accurately report natural transformation when using the plate counting method.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Microbial Genomics Group, Laboratoire AMPERE, UMR CNRS 5005, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Université de Lyon, 36 avenue Guy de Collongue 69134 Ecully, France. sandrine.demaneche@ec-lyon.fr
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demanèche
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brard
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Binet
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simonet
mesh_terms: D000150:Acinetobacter / Q000235:genetics*; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D005827:Genetics, Microbial / Q000379:methods*