Bacterial Gene Transfer by Conjugation in E. coli

Bacterial conjugation is a form of horizontal gene transfer in E. coli that moves DNA from one cell to another through direct contact. It was first discovered by Lederberg and Tatum in 1946. Unlike transformation or transduction, conjugation is a natural, one-way transfer of DNA from a donor cell to a recipient cell.

Bacterial cells, such as E. coli, are able to transfer genetic information from cell-to-cell. Conjugation differs from other mechanisms of DNA transfer, such as transduction or transformation, in that it requires physical contact between the cells.

To proceed, conjugation requires a donor cell that expresses the fertility, or F, factor and...