Abstract
Bacterial conjugation, in which DNA is transferred from one bacterium to another, was first reported in 1946 and found to be mediated by the F factor1. Although the F and RK2/RP4 prototypic plasmids can mediate the transfer of DNA from bacteria to yeast2, there has been no evidence of classical bacterial conjugation to higher eukaryotes. Here, I present evidence of such transfer, using Escherichia coli, the RK2 plasmid system and Chinese hamster ovary CHO K1 cells.
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Acknowledgements
The author gratefully acknowledges D. Guiney, D. Helinski, N. Buchmeier, M. Schaechter, M. Lesnik, T. Kirkland, J. Fierer, F. Multer, C. Rang, L. Chao and the Stein Institute for Research on Aging.
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Waters, V. Conjugation between bacterial and mammalian cells. Nat Genet 29, 375–376 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng779
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng779
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