What is the process of bacterial transformation in biotechnology?

Bacterial transformation in biotechnology is the process of introducing foreign DNA into a bacterial cell.

In more detail, bacterial transformation is a key method used in biotechnology to manipulate the genes of bacteria. This process involves the uptake of foreign DNA from the environment by a bacterium. The foreign DNA is often a plasmid, a small, circular piece of DNA that is separate from the bacterial chromosome. The plasmid can carry genes that provide the bacteria with new traits, such as antibiotic resistance or the ability to produce a specific protein.

The process begins with the preparation of competent cells, which are bacteria that have been treated to make their cell walls more permeable to DNA. This is usually achieved by treating the bacteria with a solution of calcium chloride, which increases the permeability of the cell membrane. The competent cells are then mixed with the plasmid DNA. Heat shock is often applied to encourage the cells to take up the DNA.

Once inside the cell, the plasmid DNA can replicate independently of the bacterial chromosome. If the plasmid carries a gene that confers a selective advantage, such as antibiotic resistance, bacteria that have taken up the plasmid can be selected by growing them in the presence of the antibiotic. Only those cells that have incorporated the plasmid and express the resistance gene will survive.

The transformed bacteria can then be used for various purposes in biotechnology. For example, they can be used to produce large quantities of a protein encoded by a gene on the plasmid. This is how insulin and other important drugs are produced. Alternatively, the transformed bacteria can be used in research to study the function of the gene carried on the plasmid.