[Escherichia coli cell competence induced by calcium cations]

Abstract

Escherichia coli K-12 cells grown to early and late exponential, and early and late stationary phases were treated with CA2+ and analysed for the ability of exogenous 14C-DNA uptake and genetic transformation. DNA-membrane complexes were detected detected by isopicnic centrifugation of cell lysates in sucrose density gradient. It is found that 1) during all the tested phases of the growth cycle, E. coli cells attain the ability of enhanced DNA uptake after Ca2+ treatment; 2) exogenous and host DNAs are associated with the cell membrane during all tested growth phases; 3) nevertheless, the ability to form transformants is strongly time-dependent: the cells can be transformed during logarithmic phase only; 4) Ca2+ protects exogenous DNA against its degradation by bovine pancreatic DNAase. The peculiarities of Ca2+-induced competence, actual and possible interference of Ca2+ at different transformation steps are briefly discussed.