What does heat shock do in bacterial transformation?

Sourav PanDecember 7, 2024

Answered

Heat shock temporarily disrupts the integrity of a bacterial cell membrane, creating pores that allow plasmid DNA to enter the cell. During this process, the competent cells are exposed to a sudden increase in temperature, typically from ice-cold conditions to around 42°C for a brief period. This thermal shock destabilizes the cell membrane, facilitating the uptake of DNA. Subsequent cooling restores membrane stability, trapping the foreign DNA inside the bacterial cell.

Did this page help you?

Start Asking Questions Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Quiz Leaderboard

1st

Sourav

Score: 90%

Questions: 20

2nd

Priyanka

Score: 90%

Questions: 10

3rd

Nischal

Score: 90%

Questions: 10

4th

Vesnce

Score: 45%

Questions: 20

5th

Hector

Score: 40%

Questions: 10

6th

Hykss

Score: 20%

Questions: 10

Click "Create Mock Test" to start a quiz.
Select categories and the number of questions, then click "Submit" to begin.
After completing the quiz, enter your name and email, then click "Submit" to view your score.
Your score is shown as a percentage (e.g., 5 correct out of 10 is 50%).
The leaderboard displays your name, score percentage, and total questions answered.

Click here to Create Mock Test