ELECTROTRANSFORMATION OF BACTERIA BY PLASMID DNAS - STATISTICAL EVALUATION OF A MODEL QUANTITATIVELY DESCRIBING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF ELECTROTRANSFORMANTS AND DNA CONCENTRATION

A simple mathematical model for the relationship between the number of transformed cells (n(t)) and the concentration of transforming DNA (c ) was derived on the basis of theoretical consideration on the mechani sm of electroporation. The model assumes the adsorption of DNA molecul es on the cell surface and penetration of the molecules through the ce ll wall. The validity and the limits of the application of the derived model for different bacterial strains electroporated by plasmid DNAs were verified using regression analysis. The differences between the e lectrotransformation of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and b etween the electrotransformation and chemical transformation are also discussed in this paper, The interactions of DNA molecules with the ce ll wall constituents can play an important role during penetration of DNA through the electroporated cell.