Transformation (genetics)
PLANNED GENETIC ALTERATION OF A CELL BY UPTAKE OF GENETIC MATERIAL FROM THE ENVIRONMENT
DNA transfer; Bacterial transformation; Transformation, bacterial; Genetic transformation; Cell transformation, viral; Cell transformation, neoplastic; Transformation, genetic; Transformation (bacteria); Cellular transformation; Yeast transformation; Genetic transformation of plants
In molecular biology and genetics, transformation is the genetic alteration of a cell resulting from the direct uptake and incorporation of exogenous genetic material from its surroundings through the cell membrane(s). For transformation to take place, the recipient bacterium must be in a state of competence, which might occur in nature as a time-limited response to environmental conditions such as starvation and cell density, and may also be induced in a laboratory.