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ELECTROKINETICS AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY II.

Relationship of Surface Charge to Onset of Bacterial Competence for Genetic Transformation

Genetics Section of the Department of Biology, The University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, Houston, Texas

ABSTRACT

JENSEN, ROY A. (The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, Houston) AND FELIX L. HAAS. Electrokinetics and cell physiology. II. Relationship of surface charge to onset of bacterial competence for genetic transformation. J. Bacteriol. 86:79–86. 1963.—A reliable cell fractionation scheme, which is sensitive to the electrokinetic properties of Bacillus subtilis cells, has been described in detail. Recipient cell populations, characterized by a wide range of competency for transformation to independence of nutritional markers, were subjected to electrokinetic fractionation. Results indicated that (i) physiological competency is directly related to the electrical charge on the cell surface, (ii) newly competent cells carry a maximal negative charge, (iii) the newly competent cell appears with spontaneous abruptness, (iv) a kinetic flow of competent cells from the highly charged fractions to the lower charged fractions indicates the progressive loss of the surface charge maintained by a competent cell, and (v), by token of the latter statement, cells competent to undergo transformation do so within a range of surface-charge values.