On the track of natural transformation in soil

Abstract

The understanding of microbial gene transfer including how bacteria acquire and disseminate genes in natural environments will provide data on the role of horizontal transfer in evolution. This understanding has been stimulated in recent years by concern about the impact of genetically engineered microorganisms on natural environments. This prospect has increased interest in determining the regulatory mechanisms of indigenous microbial populations as well as detecting genetic interactions between bacteria introduced into soil and the indigenous microflora. This paper will review the strategies developed to demonstrate whether the different steps required by natural bacterial transformation (the uptake of naked DNA by competent bacteria) could actually occur in soil. This will include a review on the release of DNA from microbial cells by passive or active mechanisms, its persistence by adsorption of extracellular DNA onto major soil components such as sand or clay minerals and the uptake of DNA by competent bacteria.