Transformation can be used to add recombinant DNA to bacterial cells in cloning experiments. Transformation can occur by heat or electricity with competent cells. 

Transformation in Molecular Cloning

Transformation is a method of horizontal gene transfer where foreign, naked DNA is taken up by a bacteria. Many bacteria are competent at interacting with environmental DNA and take up DNA. Transformation has been used for genetic engineering purposes with bacteria as well.

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- Transformation
- Transduction
- Conjugation

Types of Horizontal Gene Transfer

- Restriction Enzymes
- Transformation
- Conjugation
- Transduction
- Genomic Library 

Techniques for Molecular Cloning in Bacteria

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Conjugation is a mechanism of gene transfer where the cells use a conjugation pilus to transfer DNA between cells. The conjugation pilus is encoded on the F plasmid. 

Conjugation

Transformation

In transduction, bacteriophages can infect bacteria and move short pieces of DNA from one bacteria to another. This can transfer virulence genes and allow bacteria to be pathogenic. Viral transduction can be used in genetic engineering experiments to add recombinant genes into the chromosomes of bacteria.

Viral Transduction

A common cloning technique to design and make recombinant DNA uses restriction enzymes that were found primarily in bacteria. Natively, restriction enzymes cut foreign DNA that could have been introduced from an infection. For cloning experiments, restriction enzymes can be used to make DNA fragments and create recombinant DNA.

Restriction Enzymes

A genomic library contains a copy of the cell's genomic DNA that becomes a "library" of recombinant DNA plasmids. This allows for sequencing the genomes and for identifying the function of genes in the genome.

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